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 survived a notorious Khmer Rouge torture center in the Southeast Asian country in the late 1970s, has died. He was 85. His ability to paint portraits of the then-leader Pol Pot was why he was kept alive. The […] The post Bou Meng, a Cambodian artist and survivor of a Khmer Rouge torture center, has died…
Cambodian artist and survivor Bou Meng passed away at the age of 85, leaving behind a legacy as one of the seven known survivors of the notorious Khmer Rouge torture center S-21. Known for his ability to paint portraits of the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, Bou Meng's life was spared due to his artistic talents. At S-21, he was subjected to brutal torture and held captive for nearly two years starting in 1977.
After the Khmer Rouge's downfall in 1979, Bou Meng testified in 2009 at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, the former S-21 commandant. It was during his testimony that Bou Meng revealed that painting larger-than-life images of Pol Pot and other communist icons helped him survive the ordeal.
His art has been instrumental in preserving the memory of the Khmer Rouge's atrocities and serving as a testament to the resilience of those who endured the brutal regime.
Written by urgent.news from Khaosod English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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