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Khmer Rouge jailer found guilty of war crimes

Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Jul 26 (AP) A war crimes tribunal convicted and sentenced the Khmer Rouge's chief jailer Monday for overseeing the deaths of up to 16,000 people, in the first verdict involving a senior member of the "killing fields" regime that devastated a generation of Cambodians. Victims and their relatives burst into tears after hearing that a 35-year sentence given to Kaing Guek Eav also known as Duch had been whittled down to just 19 after taking into account time already served and other factors. That effectively means the 67-year-old could one day walk free. "I can't accept this," said Saodi Ouch, 46, shaking so hard she could hardly talk. "My family died ... my older sister, my older brother. I'm the only one left." The UN-backed tribunal 10 years and USD 100 million in the making has sought to find justice for victims of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, medical neglect, slave-like working conditions and execution between 1975-79. The group's top leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998. Four other senior Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial. Some legal experts said the tribunal may have acted more leniently with Duch, because they were saving the worst punishment for members of the regime's inner clique. Duch, who headed Tuol Sleng, a secret detention center for the worst "enemies" of the state, was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. During the 77-day proceedings, Duch admitted to overseeing the deaths of up to 16,000 people who passed through the prison's gates.Torture used to extract confessions included pulling out prisoners' toenails, administering electric shocks and water boarding. The court said at least 100 people bled to death in medieval-style medical experiments. Unlike the other defendants, Duch (pronounced DOIK) has several times expressed remorse, even offering at one point to face a public stoning and to allow victims to visit him in jail. But his surprise request on the final day of the trial to be acquitted and freed left many wondering if his contrition was sincere. "He tricked everybody," said Chum Mey, 79, one of just a few people sent to Tuol Sleng prison code-named S-21 who survived.The key witness wiped his eyes. "See ... my tears drop down again. I feel like I was victim during the Khmer Rouge, and now I'm a victim once again." (AP)