3 February 2012Cambodia’s UN-backed genocide court has rejected an appeal by Khmer Rouge jailer Duch and increased his sentence to life imprisonment.
Duch, born Kaing Guek Eav, was jailed in 2010 for his role in running a notorious prison where thousands of inmates were killed.
He had appealed on the grounds that he was a junior official following orders.
The BBC’s Guy Delauney: “The judges comprehensively demolished all of his arguments”
Duch – the first senior Khmer Rouge official to face charges before the court – was convicted of crimes against humanity in July 2010. He appealed against the verdict in March 2011.But judges rejected his claim and increased his sentence from 35 years to life.
The 69-year-old was the commander of Tuol Sleng prison, where at least 15,000 men, women and children deemed enemies of the regime were tortured and then executed in “killing fields” outside Phnom Penh.
