Photo of the Day - Death Bed
;)
It was once a high school, but when the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia, it became the infamous S-21 prison. This metal frame bed and the blanket on top are all that remain in this room used between 1975 and 1979 to interrogate, torture, and kill. It is thought that 17000 people came through this prison, though the number could be as high as 20000. There are only 12 known survivors.
The S-21 prison has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Today, more than 30 years later, the first of five surviving senior officials of the Khmer Rouge was convicted by a UN-Backed Cambodian war crimes tribunal. S-21 prison chief 'Duch' (now 67 years old) was sentenced to 35 years in prison, though will likely serve much less.
July 26, 2010
Reader Comments (3)
It's a very sobering place that.
The prison sentence is all too late for the Khmer Rouge, but better late than never I guess.
Wow, what a powerful photo. Thank you for sharing.
I grew up with several Cambodian friends and I heard lots of horror stories from their parents who just barely managed to escape.
Admittedly I knew very little about Cambodia before I arrived, and was blown away by the recent history and how the Khmer people continue to move forward.
Unfortunately with many former Khmer Rouge officials making up the current government, these tribunals have been delayed time and time again. I do wish I was in Phnom Penh when the verdict came down to report and photograph the event.