Cambodian artist Bou Meng, one of only seven people known to have survived the Khmer Rouge torture center at Tuol Sleng, has died at age 85, according to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
The U.N.-backed tribunal said Bou Meng died late Friday from an age-related illness. It called him an important historical witness to the crimes committed at the former S-21 Security Centre in Phnom Penh, where he was held for nearly two years beginning in 1977.
Bou Meng was spared, in part, because he could paint portraits of Pol Pot and other communist leaders, including Mao Zedong and Kim Il Sung. In 2010, he testified that making those paintings helped save his life.
He later testified at the 2009 trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, the former S-21 commandant. Duch was convicted of crimes against humanity, torture and murder and received a life sentence. He died in prison in 2020.
According to ABC News, Bou Meng spent much of his later life at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, where he sold copies of a book about his experience. The Documentation Center of Cambodia said his journey for justice would not be forgotten.
