Former Khmer Rouge Leader Transferred to Cambodian Prison

Khieu Samphan was convicted by a Tribunal U.N.-backed of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role as a leader of the communist Khmer Rouge when they ruled Cambodia in 1975-1979, has been transferred from the tribunal’s jail to serve his life sentence at a state prison.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia said Wednesday that Khieu Samanthaphan was removed from the custom-built detention facility on Monday to serve the remainder of the sentence in the Kandal provincial prison which is located adjacent to Phnom Penh.

Khieu Samphan (91) is the last remaining top leader of Khmer Rouge. Their radical policies were blamed for the deaths a staggering 1.7 million people during their time in power.

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His transfer came as the tribunal winds down its activities after its last court session in September, when it rejected Khieu Samphan’s final appeal. Three convictions were obtained by the tribunal, which was run jointly by international and Cambodian jurists. The work took 16 years and cost $337million.

Since Dec. 26, it has handed over its complex of buildings, including the detention facility, to Cambodia’s Defense Ministry, the original owners of the site, said tribunal spokesperson Neth Pheaktra. The tribunal will continue working for three years after the trials’ end on archiving documents and public education, with its remaining staff moved to a new building in the center of the capital.

Khieu Samphan (a former leader of the Khmer Rouge) sits in court during a hearing held in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), on November 16, 2018. Samphan has been released from the tribunal’s custody to begin his life sentence in a Cambodian prison. 
( Mark Peters/Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia via AP, File)

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Khieu Samphan was the Khmer Rouge’s nominal head of state, but at His trial He denied that he had any real decision-making power during the reign of terror. This was to create a utopian agricultural society. Instead, it caused mass executions, starvation, and poor medical care. The invasion of Communist Vietnam in 1979 saw the Khmer Rouge fall from power.

Khieu Samuelphan was convicted and sentenced in 2018 to life imprisonment. Following his 2014 conviction, Khieu Samphan was sentenced to a life sentence for crimes against humanity relating to forced transfers and mass disappearances.

The Khmer Rouge’s real chief, Pol Pot, escaped justice. At 72 years old, he was found dead in a jungle. His remaining members were fighting their final battles in the guerrilla warfare they started after losing power.

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Be Tealeng (deputy director-general of Interior Ministry’s Prison Department) confirmed that Khieu Samuelphan was taken into custody at Kandal provincial jail. He is being kept in a separate cell for his safety and security.

Khieu Ratana, Khieu Samphan’s daughter, said her father, who was visited by his family on Tuesday, was in Good health His transfer was a smooth experience for him. Kandal prison is roughly the same traveling time from central Phnom Penh as the tribunal’s facilities were.

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