In April of last year, while I was in Cambodia, I witnessed a trial of great magnitude. Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was in preliminary hearings indicted for Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes.
He was part of the Khmer Rouge regime that ferociously tortured and murdered 2million Cambodians from 1975-1979.
Duch, in fact, managed the most notorious torture center where dried blood still splattered up the sides of walls and on to the ceilings testify to the horrific nightmare.
Today, a verdict was reached.
Guilty.
The sentence: 35 years.
35 years for 14,000 deaths under his watch at S-21.
35 years of which he will most likely only serve 19 because of his 11yrs already spent in jail and 5yrs of illegal detention prior to this tribunal.
Duch is 67yrs old.
What do we do, what do they do, with all of these numbers?
Is this the matrix of justice?
4 more leaders of the Khmer Rouge wait to hear if they too will take a turn at the stand.
I remember hearing about this on the news and I thought of you and you telling me about attending the trials during your time in Cambodia.
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