Cambodia's Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of crimes against humanity and jailed for life

The final two members of the former Cambodian regime, Khieu Samphan, 83 and Nuon Chea, 88, have been jailed for life.

14:17 07 August 2014

Nearly 40 years after the regime led by Pol Pot which led to the death of nearly two million people ended, Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge leaders have been found guilty of crimes against humanities and have been jailed for life.

 

The last two members who were deemed fit to stand the trials were Khmer Rouge’s Brother No 2 Nuon Chea and former head of state Khieu Samphan.

 

The verdict, which was handed down by a UN-backed war crime tribunal, was heralded by human rights groups as a “historic victory” for the nation.  

 

The two million victims of the regime died from starvation, exhaustion, execution or lack of medical care as a result of the communist “utopia” experiment. 

 

Both Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea were charged with homicides, torture, genocide, and religious persecution during a regime that forced Cambodia into “a state of terror” according to the tribunal’s chief judge Nil Nonn. The defendants have been in the hospital since the trial began in November 2011. Their lawyers said they would appeal.