[1]Hundreds of Cambodians flocked to the UN-backed war crimes court on Friday to hear the final verdict in a landmark case against the former head of a notorious torture prison.
Kaing Guek Eav -- better known as Duch -- was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in 2010 for crimes against humanity and war crimes over the torture and deaths of about 15,000 people at S-21 prison in the late 1970s.
Dozens of orange-clad monks, young students and others old enough to have lived through the 'Killing Fields' era arrived early at the Phnom Penh-based tribunal, anxious to see whether Duch will be acquitted on appeal or if judges will side with the prosecution and hand down a harsher punishment.
"I could not sleep last night. I have been waiting for this day for so long. He must be sentenced to life in jail," said Pov Si Nuon, 52, who lost all of her 10 siblings during the Khmer Rouge's blood-soaked 1975-1979 rule.
"I'm happy to be here today but I'm worried that the verdict won't satisfy the victims."
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for one of the worst horrors of the 20th century, wiping out nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population through starvation, overwork and execution.
S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng, was the centre of the Khmer Rouge security apparatus and thousands of inmates were taken from there for execution in a nearby orchard that served as a 'Killing Field'.
Prison commandant Duch, 69, was the first Khmer Rouge cadre to face the international tribunal.
His trial attracted huge interest in a nation still haunted by the brutality of the regime, blamed for the deaths of up to two million people. The milestone final judgement will be broadcast live on television.
If the court upholds the original verdict, the one-time maths teacher could be freed in under 18 years because of time already served, to the dismay of survivors, who say they want Duch to die in jail.
The court is due to deliver its ruling from 0300 GMT. Trial observers say it is highly unlikely Duch will go free.
During his nine-month trial Duch repeatedly apologised for his role at S-21, but surprised the court by asking to be acquitted at the 11th hour.
On appeal, Duch told judges he only survived because he 'respectfully and strictly followed the orders', while his lawyers argued their client should be released because he was 'just a minor secretary'.
Prosecutors said the shock request for a full acquittal showed Duch lacks remorse and demanded a life term, to be commuted to 45 years for time spent in unlawful detention before the court was established.
Duch has been held in detention since he was found working as a Christian aid worker in the Cambodian jungle in 1999. He was formally arrested by the tribunal in July 2007.
A second trial involving the regime's three most senior surviving leaders opened at the court late last year, but there are fears that not all of the defendants, who are in their eighties, will live to see a verdict.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/khmerouge3-afpjpgcropdisplayjpg-765