Khmer Rouge Tribunal Ends Work After 16 Years, 3 Judgments

Khieu Samphan (R), the former head of state for the Khmer Rouge, sits in a courtroom during a hearing at the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Sept. 22, 2022. Nhet Sok Heng/Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia via AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—The international court convened in Cambodia to judge the Khmer Rouge for its brutal 1970s rule ended its work Thursday after spending $337 million and 16 years to convict just three men of crimes after the regime caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people.

In its final session, the U.N.-assisted tribunal rejected an appeal by Khieu Samphan, the last surviving leader of the Khmer Rouge government that ruled Cambodia from 1975–79. It reaffirmed the life sentence he received after being convicted in 2018 of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.