Expert Witness David Chandler Testifies about S-21

S-21 was Inhuman and Autonomous

A recognized expert on Cambodian history, Professor David Chandler, 76, has extensively researched Cambodia since 1960, when he worked as a diplomat. In the trial of Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch), Chandler mainly testified regarding his book, Voices from S-21: Terror and History in Pol Pot’s Secret Prison. To write this book, Chandler spent a total of four years doing research in the early 1990s, reading over 1,000 confessions of prisoners, and interviewing numerous S-21 survivors and security guards.

Chandler testified that S-21 was an inhuman and autonomous prison created to kill the enemy who desired to destroy the revolution and hid amongst the cadres and people. Chandler found S-21 inhuman because prisoners were tortured and forced to write confessions, security guards had virtually no freedom, and everyone lived in a continuous and complete state of fear.

Chandler considered S-21 an autonomous institution because the people inside S-21 were isolated from all other communities and no information from the facility was broadcast to the outside world. Supporting this finding of autonomy, Chandler noted that secrecy was the core of the Khmer Rouge leadership and S-21 was not publicized. Communication only occurred between S-21 and the Khmer Rouge central government. Chandler also quoted Nuon Chea who told a Danish delegation in July 1978 that, “Secrecy was the top priority of the Khmer Rouge leadership” …

Read more: ctm_blog_8-6-2009