Cambodian survivor of a Khmer Rouge torture centre dies

Cambodian artist Bou Meng, who endured imprisonment at the infamous Khmer Rouge torture center S-21 in the late 1970s, has passed away at the age of 85. A UN-backed tribunal noted his demise was due to age-related illnesses. Placed alive at S-21 due to his skill in painting portraits of then-leader Pol Pot, Bou Meng survived despite the brutal regime's estimated 1.7 million deaths from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect, and executions.

This includes around 16,000 women and children held there before their deaths. Bou Meng provided testimony in 2009, detailing how his art saved his life, including a three-month process to create his first oversized portrait of Pol Pot. He was also ordered to paint images of other communist leaders, including Ho Chi Minh on a dog's body.

This experience left him with a tragic loss, as his first wife disappeared and their two children were likely killed in the countryside. In his later years, Bou Meng frequently visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and spent time selling copies of his book recounting his experience.