A UN-BACKED tribunal sentenced the Khmer Rouge’s chief jailer to 35 years for overseeing the deaths of up to 16,000 people – the first verdict involving a senior member of the “killing fields” regime that devastated a generation of Cambodians.

The long-awaited Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal today wrapped up its opening session with judges saying they still need to finalise the list of witnesses before announcing when the regime’s alleged chief torturer will take the stand.