Free me, says Khmer Rouge mass murderer

The Khmer Rouge prison chief blamed for thousands of deaths at an infamous torture centre asked Cambodia’s genocide tribunal to release him today 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 earlier 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 before ending the trial’s proceedings, following several days of closing arguments.

They did not announce a date for their ruling, which is expected early next year.

Duch commanded the notorious S-21 prison where those accused of disloyalty to the xenophobic communist regime were held. He oversaw the torture and execution of about 16,000 men, women and children during the Khmer Rouge’s reign.

Duch said he had fully co-operated with the tribunal and had been detained since 1999.

“I want to be released from the chamber,” Duch said.

Duch has denied personally killing or torturing the S-21 prisoners, and said he felt compelled by fear for his own life to follow the orders of senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

Duch, the only accused Khmer Rouge leader to acknowledge responsibility for his actions, is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Four other senior Khmer Rouge leaders are in custody awaiting trial.

Some 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation under the Khmer Rouge, whose Maoist ideologues led by Pol Pot emptied cities and forced virtually the entire population to work on farm collectives.