Khmer Rouge prison chief awaits verdict

Duch, who kept meticulous records, was often present during interrogations and signed off on all the executions. In one memo, a guard asked him what to do with six boys and three girls accused of being traitors.

“Kill every last one,” he wrote across the top.

After the Khmer Rouge were forced from power in 1979 after a bloody, four-year reign, Duch disappeared for almost two decades, living under various aliases in northwestern Cambodia, where he had converted to Christianity. His chance discovery by a British journalist led to his arrest in May 1999.

“This is a crime that, after 30 years, is now officially being recognized by a court of law, and that is what is most wanted by survivors,” said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which has collected evidence of the atrocities.

Though the tribunal has been credited with helping Cambodians speak out publicly for the first time about Khmer Rouge atrocities, it has faced criticism.

In an awkward legal compromise, the government insisted Cambodians be included on the panel of judges, raising concerns about political interference. Possibly fearing a widening circle of defendants could reach into its own ranks, the government sought to limit the number of those being tried.

The costs have also exceeded expectations.

Initially, the US$78 million earmarked for the proceedings was used up in 2009, without issuing a single ruling, drawing criticism that the process was moving too slowly. The international community has agreed to pump in an addition US$92 million for the next two years.

Norng Chan Phal doesn't care about the cost — as long as Duch spends the rest of his life behind bars.

“This is the most important day of my life,” said the Khmer Rouge survivor, who was just 8 when his father and mother were taken to Toul Sleng and killed. He will be among hundreds of victims at the court Monday for the verdict.

“I've been living without my parents for 30 years. I want to see him get what he deserves.”

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