Itinerary of an Ordinary Torturer

Kaing Guek Eav was an ordinary man growing up in Cambodia in the mid-twentieth century. But then, adopting the alias “Duch,” he joined the Khmer Rouge and took charge of S‑21, the infamous secret security center where in less than four years at least 14,000 “enemies” were interrogated, tortured, and executed. After the government’s collapse, Duch fled to the Cambodian frontier, where he lived in anonymity until he was finally unmasked and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.

With remarkable and chilling precision, Duch describes firsthand the Khmer Rouge movement and his own role in the paranoid irrationality of the regime. An introduction and epilogue delve unflinchingly into Duch’s character and motivations, our common humanity, and the sometimes uncomfortable implications of global justice.