AKP Phnom Penh, April 17, 2026 -- Minister of Information H.E. Neth Pheaktra, former spokesperson of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), has reflected on the events that took place 51 years ago in a message posted on his official Facebook account.

“Today marks the 51st anniversary of the Khmer Rouge regime’s rise to power, which brought one of the darkest chapters in Cambodian history and a painful day for the entire nation. Millions of people lost their lives, families were torn apart, and countless survivors endured severe suffering,” he wrote on Friday.

He added that many who survived continued to suffer physical and psychological trauma caused by torture, starvation, and the lack of medical care.

At the same time, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said the liberation of the country on Jan. 7, 1979, led by the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation with the support of the Vietnamese volunteer army, was a historic turning point that saved the Cambodian nation and people from the genocidal regime.

He also noted that the implementation of the Win-Win Policy by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, current President of the Senate, helped dismantle the Khmer Rouge’s political and military structure, paving the way for lasting peace and national reconciliation.
In addition, H.E. Neth Pheaktra said that bringing Khmer Rouge leaders to justice through the establishment of the ECCC, initiated by Samdech Techo Hun Sen, was an important step in seeking justice for victims and ensuring such crimes would never happen again.

“We remember the past to protect peace, uphold justice, and build a future free from genocide,” he wrote.

Today, the only surviving former senior Khmer Rouge leader serving a life sentence is Khieu Samphan, now 95 years old, who is detained in Kandal Provincial Prison. He was arrested by co-investigating judges of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal on Nov. 19, 2007.

By Heng Panha