Bou Meng, a Cambodian artist and survivor of a Khmer Rouge torture center, has died at 85
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian artist Bou Meng, one of only seven people known to have…
Cambodian artist Bou Meng, one of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge's infamous S-21 prison, has passed away at the age of 85. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a UN-backed tribunal, confirmed his death due to age-related illness. Bou Meng gained notoriety for his ability to paint portraits of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, which allowed him to survive in the prison.
He was held captive at S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng, for nearly two years starting in 1977. The Khmer Rouge regime, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, is accused of genocide, causing the death of approximately 1.7 million Cambodians through various means. S-21, which functioned as a prison from 1977 to 1979, held around 16,000 women and children before their deaths.
Bou Meng, along with two other survivors, testified in 2009 at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, the former commandant of S-21.
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