Last month, Cambodia
began a trial for crimes against humanity that took place three decades
earlier. The U.N.-backed tribunal has indicted and is now trying five
former Khmer Rouge officials for crimes against humanity and war crimes
during the years of 1975-79. In that short span, while the Khmer Rouge
was in power, an estimated 1.4 million Cambodians died (possibly up to 2
million) due to Khmer policies, which included forced labor, outright
executions, starvation, and torture - for an idea of the magnitude,
click here
for a visualization. All these acts were part of the Khmer Rouge's
disastrous effort to dismantle their society and build a communist
utopia. Now, 30 years later, Cambodia is still recovering - a young
country, with over 50% of the population younger than 25, millions of
leftover land mines, extreme poverty and a still-rebuilding agricultural
system. Collected here are some recent photos from Cambodia, its
people, the tribunal and more. Special thanks to my friend Alicia Conway, currently in Phnom Penh. (28 photos total)
Chum
Manh, 78, one of the 14 Khmer Rouge prisoners who survived the S-21
torture center (now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum), shows his group
photo in the museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on January 31, 2009. The
U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal recently opened its first trial where
66-year-old Duch, also known as Kaing Guek Eav, faces charges of war
crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and homicide while he ran the
S-21 torture centre. (REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea)
