Kang Kek Iew
Kang Kek Iew, also spelled Kaing Guek Eav (Khmer: កាំង ហ្គេកអ៊ាវ, Kăng Hkék'iĕv [kaŋ geːk.ʔiəw]; 17 November 1942 – 2 September 2020), alias Comrade Duch (Khmer: មិត្តឌុច, Mĭtt Dŭch [mɨt ɗuc]) or Hang Pin, was a Cambodian convicted war criminal and leader in the Khmer Rouge movement, which ruled Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979. As the head of the government's internal security branch (Santebal), he oversaw the Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison camp where thousands were held for interrogation and torture, after which the vast majority of these prisoners were eventually executed.
Kang Kek Iew | |
|---|---|
| កាំង ហ្គេកអ៊ាវ | |
Kang Kek Iew during his trial (2009) | |
| Born | 17 November 1942 Choyaot, Kampong Thom Province, French Indochina |
| Died | 2 September 2020 (aged 77) Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
| Nationality | Cambodian |
| Other names | Comrade Duch Hang Pin |
| Known for | Director of the S-21 prison camp, Leader of Santebal |
| Spouse | Chhim Sophal (?–1995) |
| Conviction(s) | Crimes against humanity |
| Criminal penalty | 30 years; increased to life (2 February 2012) |
Date apprehended | May 1999 |
He was the first Khmer Rouge leader to be tried by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge regime, and was convicted of crimes against humanity, murder, and torture for his role during the Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia and sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment. On Candlemas Day, 2 February 2012, his sentence was extended to life imprisonment by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Kang Kek Iew, unlike many other Khmer Rouge cadres, did not dismiss or justify his crimes. He admitted that he had been wrong and that he had done horrible things; he said that he repented and that he had converted to Christianity. During his trial, he provided detailed accounts of what happened inside S-21 and inside the Khmer Rouge regime, although his testimony at times contained discrepancies and at the conclusion of his trial he asked to be freed.