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Two senior Khmer Rouge leaders were found guilty of crimes against humanity in Cambodia on Thursday.

, the verdict, handed down by a joint Cambodian and United Nations tribunal, is the first against top leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.


Nuon Chea, the chief lieutenant of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, and Khieu Samphan, who acted as head of state for the Maoist regime, were sentenced to life in prison.

that both Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan apologized for their role in the killings during the trial, but they said they were not aware of the full extent of the killings. Here's more on the background:


 that following the verdict, Lars Olsen, a spokesman for the court, called the day "historic."


"The victims have waited 35 years for legal accountability, and now that the tribunal has rendered a judgment, it is a clear milestone," Olsen said.

 adds: "A group of 10 victims represented by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) praised the court's decision, saying: 'We will finally be able to mourn our relatives. It was important for us to see those who planned and ordered these crimes be held to account.' "
We'll leave you with video of the verdict being read and then the reaction:  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


Crime, Law and Justice

The verdict, handed down by a joint Cambodian and United Nations tribunal, is the first against top leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime.

Senior Khmer Rouge leaders found guilty of crimes against humanity

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