Two Khmer Rouge leaders handed life sentences

Two aging Khmer Rouge leaders have been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison, three-and-a-half decades after the communist group's bloody rule left nearly a quarter of the Cambodian population dead.

A United Nations-backed tribunal ruled 83-year-old ex-head of state Khieu Samphan and 88-year-old former chief ideologue Nuon Chea were guilty of murder, political persecution and other inhumane acts.

The chief judge, Nil Nonn, said the court found that there had been “a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Cambodia” and that the two former leaders were part of a “joint criminal enterprise” that bore responsibility. They were convicted of murder and extermination, among other crimes.

As many as two million Cambodians died of starvation, overwork, and execution during the 1975-1979 rule of the Khmer Rouge, which attempted to create a socialist utopia.

Hundreds of Khmer Rouge survivors gathered at the court in Phnom Penh to hear the verdicts the two Khmer Rouge leaders. Many broke down in tears and hugged their relatives as the verdicts were read.