Khmer Rouge tribunal ends 16-year run, with 3 convictions

Life sentence reaffirmed for last surviving leader tied to 1970s atrocities in Cambodia

20220922N Khieu Samphan

Khieu Samphan, 91, at his tribunal appeal hearing in Phnom Penh on Sept. 22. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi) 

TOMOYA ONISHI, Nikkei staff writer

PHNOM PENH -- An international tribunal in Cambodia rejected an appeal by a former Khmer Rouge government official on Thursday, ending 16 years of work to address a brutal chapter in the nation's history under a regime that killed nearly 2 million people.

In the final session, the United Nations-backed tribunal reaffirmed the life sentence of Khieu Samphan, the last surviving defendant of the five senior Khmer Rouge members who were charged. He was convicted in 2018 of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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