Tuol Sleng prison survivor testifies first time

Phnom Penh: A Tuol Sleng prison or S-21 torture center survivor on 29 June 2009 testified for the first time before Cambodia’s war crimes court in trial of former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Geuk Eav, alias Duch.
Vann Nath, 63, artist and former Tuol Sleng prisoner of Khmer Rouge regime, participated as witness and the first person amongst other Tuol Sleng survivors to appear in the court.
With short hair, white eyebrows, long sleeves, and tucking shirt in his black pants, Vann Nath was sitting and turning his face to judges in courtroom.
Vann Nath was summoned to be witness to recount inhumane activities and brutal torture he experienced with in Tuol Sleng prison. The torture caused the deaths of an estimated 16,000 people under supervision of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch.
Vann Nath called Duch ‘East Brother’ as in the regime, Duch was called such a name.
Before court, Vann Nath described evacuation from his Battambang province’s house when Khmer Rouge took power on 17 April 1975. Until 30 December 1977, Vann Nath was arrested, being accused of enemy. Until 7 January 1978, Vann Nath was sent to Tuol Sleng prison. Recalling past as prisoner, Vann Nath wept, keeping his eyes to the floor and expressing his suffering.
In Tuol Sleng detention cell, he like others was leg-ironed regularly and was living with hellish condition which was worse than animals. In the cell, prisoners ate only two or three spoonful of water gruel. Every two or three-day, they were allowed to take bath, by shooting water into the cell.
Vann Nath outlined, as grasshoppers and crickets encircling lamps felt to the ground, the prisoners secretly took them for eating because of hunger.
Until over a month, Vann Nath was sent to art room. Vann Nath said drawings he painted then save his life.
Vann Nath claimed he saw torture with his own eyes. The prisoners were tied behind their backs then their heads were dipped into the water filled jar. For other torture, he just heard the prisoners screaming while he was working in the art room.
13 drawings by Vann Nath were included into Duch’s accusation case. Some black and white and color drawings were presented in the hearing. The drawings depict his life and Tuol Sleng’s friends who were blindfolded and tied with hummock ropes, being escorted to the prison and brutally tortured.
Vann Nath said he painted the 13 drawings as he saw the prisoners being tortured and screaming with pain and the victims told him.
Responding to French Judge Jean Marc Lavergne, Vann Nath outlined that at the Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng prison, he worked harder to draw the pictures to survive. All the aspects cannot be erased from his feeling. They still haunt him.
Vann Nath said he participated as witness to tell the torture at Tuol Sleng to the next generation because he like other prisoners was arrested and accused of enemy without guilt.
Jean Marc Lavergne questioned Vann Nath, “What do you want from the hearing.”
Vann Nath responded he wanted justice to be rendered to himself and other victims and any form of justice is based on judge’s decision.
Duch was sitting and listening carefully with a pile of documents on the table on the side of the courtroom. Duch was not allowed to speak.
Before testimony of Vann Nath, trial chamber president Nil Nonn reduced some witnesses from the lists on with reasons that some witnesses have similar testimony.
General public attended Duch’s trial held on 29 June 2009 in the main courtroom, including international journalists.