Duch asks for early release

THE Khmer Rouge prison chief blamed for thousands of deaths at an infamous torture centre asked Cambodia’s genocide tribunal to release him yesterday saying he had already spent 10 years in jail awaiting trial.

The request by Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, stunned the courtroom and raised doubts about the sincerity of his remarks to the panel accepting responsibility for his prison role, asking forgiveness from victims’ families and expressing readiness to accept heavy punishment.

Judges declined to act on Duch’s request.