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Khmer Rouge prison chief found guilty

A UN backed tribunal in Cambodia has found a former Khmer Rouge prison chief guilty of crimes against humanity. The man best known as Comrade Duch had admitted he oversaw the torture and murder of thousands of people in the late 1970s.

Reporter:
Guy de Launey

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Comrade Duch had painted himself as a man who was only following orders. He said his family would have been killed if he hadn’t carried out his gruesome work at the S-21 detention centre. But the judges ruled otherwise. They said he was personally responsible for the atrocities at S-21.

Thousands of supposed enemies of the Khmer Rouge revolution were tortured and murdered there. The judges reiterated the details: pulling out toenails, water torture, electric shocks.

Hundreds of Cambodians who lived through the horrors of the Pol Pot era were in court. It’s the first time a significant Khmer Rouge figure has been held to account. As many as two million Cambodians died because of forced labour, starvation and summary executions.

Guy de Launey, BBC News, Phnom Penh

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painted himself
se presentó

gruesome
truculento / horrendo

ruled otherwise
llegaron a otra conclusión

atrocities
barbaries / atrocidades

supposed
supuestos

era
era

significant
importante

held to account
obligado a responsabilizarse

forced labour
trabajo forzado

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