Today the Supreme Court sentenced Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, 69, former chief of S-21, the biggest prison of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime, to life imprisonment for crimes he committed at this notorious security prison. In July 2010 Duch was found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, slavery, torture, murder, and grave breaches of the Geneva Convention of 1949 and was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison. But the prosecutor believed that the sentence was too lenient and demanded that Duch be held in prison for at least 45 years. Duch’s defense team also argued that the sentence given to their client was too harsh and demanded that he be released.

Duch's appeal was taken place from 28 to 31 March, 2011 on which Duch made a statement that he was neither a senior leader nor a most responsible person of DK Regime and that he would be released.

Today’s Supreme Court verdict was welcomed by the DK survivors, former prisoners and those whose relatives died at S-21, where Duch was known as a "brutal" chief.

Sek Say, 44, whose parents and a brother were killed at S-21 said that she is satisfied with the sentence and that this is a "justice" for her. Lach Mean, 57, who was a security guard at S-21 under Duch, said that this is what Duch deserved. "He did lots of brutal things and a life term fits him so well," Lach Mean commented.

Chang Sokcheung, 53, a former school director where Duch was a teacher in the late 1990s said that "I was excited that he [Duch] was sentenced to life imprisonment. Although my parents were not sent to S-21, they were killed during that [DK] period." Sokcheung was not aware that Duch was a chief of S-21 until the government arrested him in early 1999. "Before I knew that he was a chief of S-21 prison, I took pity on him [when I heard that he was arrested] because he was a nice guy. But as a chief of that notorious prison, he deserved to get such a punishment," said Sokcheung.

Kim Huoy, who came from a Vietnamese-descended family, said that the Supreme Court's decision was fair on the fact that what happened at S-21 was too brutal to forgive. "I thanked the court for providing justice to me and to my parents who died during the Khmer Rouge regime. I am happy that Duch was sentenced to life imprisonment," said Kim Huoy.