Khieu Samphan
Khieu Samphan (Khmer: ខៀវ សំផន; born 28 July 1931) is a Cambodian former communist politician and economist who was the chairman of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) from 1976 until 1979. As such, he served as Cambodia's head of state and was one of the most powerful officials in the Khmer Rouge movement, although Pol Pot remained the General Secretary (highest official) in the party.
Khieu Samphan | |
|---|---|
| ខៀវ សំផន | |
Samphan in 2014 | |
| Chairman of the State Presidium | |
| In office 11 April 1976 – 7 January 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | Pol Pot |
| Deputy | So Phim Nhim Ros |
| Leader | Pol Pot (General Secretary) |
| Preceded by | Norodom Sihanouk as President of the State Presidium |
| Succeeded by | Heng Samrin as Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Council |
| Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea | |
| Acting 4 April 1976 – 14 April 1976 | |
| President | Norodom Sihanouk |
| Leader | Pol Pot (General Secretary) |
| Preceded by | Penn Nouth |
| Succeeded by | Pol Pot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 July 1931 Romduol, Svay Rieng, Cambodia, French Indochina |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | So Socheat |
| Alma mater | University of Montpellier (B.Ec) University of Paris (PhD in Econ.) |
| Conviction(s) | Crimes against humanity and Genocide |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (2014) |
Prior to joining the Khmer Rouge, he was a member of Norodom Sihanouk's Sangkum government. After the 1967 leftist rebellion, Sihanouk ordered the arrest of leftists including Samphan, who fled into hiding until the Khmer Rouge takeover in 1975. On 7 August 2014, along with other members of the regime, he was convicted and received a life sentence for crimes against humanity during the Cambodian genocide, and a further trial found him guilty of genocide in 2018. He is the oldest living former prime minister and the last surviving senior member of the Khmer Rouge following the deaths of Nuon Chea in August 2019 and Kang Kek Iew (Duch) in September 2020.