1975–1979 CE · Asia · War
Khmer Rouge rule and mass atrocities in Cambodia
The Khmer Rouge imposed forced labour, persecution and executions in pursuit of a radical agrarian transformation. Nearly two million people died under its rule.
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Coercion as a system
From April 1975 to January 1979, the regime reorganised life through compulsion and terror. Mass death arose through execution, forced labour, starvation and disease. Religious and ethnic persecution formed part of a wider assault on Cambodian society.
Survival, testimony and accountability
Accounts from survivors and refugees are indispensable, especially because the regime restricted access to the country. Later investigation must distinguish particular crimes and targeted groups rather than assume every death occurred in the same way. The fall of the government in 1979 did not end the consequences for survivors or the struggle over accountability.