Tuol Sleng torture center, Prison museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Five concrete buildings arranged around courtyards contain narrow cells created by subdividing former classrooms with rough brick partitions. Iron bed frames remain in interrogation rooms, while walls throughout the complex display thousands of prisoner photographs taken upon arrival. The grounds retain exercise equipment modified for torture and the gallows where prisoners were hung before interrogation sessions.
Established in 1962 as Tuol Svay Prey High School, the compound served students until May 1975 when Khmer Rouge forces commandeered the buildings. Renamed S-21, it became the regime's largest security center under the direction of Kang Kek Iew, known as Duch. Vietnamese troops liberating the city in January 1979 found fourteen bodies and scattered documentation before the complex opened as a museum the following year.
The site serves as Cambodia's primary memorial for the Khmer Rouge atrocities, hosting annual ceremonies where survivors share testimonies with younger generations. Educational programs bring Cambodian students here to learn about their nation's darkest period and the importance of preventing such violence from recurring.
Located about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southwest of the Royal Palace, the museum opens daily from 8 AM to 5 PM. Audio guides available in multiple languages provide survivor testimonies and historical context. Allow at least two hours for your visit and dress respectfully; photography is permitted in most areas but prohibited in certain rooms.
Among roughly 20,000 prisoners, only twelve survived their detention, including a mechanic who repaired sewing machines and a painter commissioned to create portraits of Pol Pot. Several survivors return regularly to share their experiences, while the prison's meticulous record-keeping provided crucial evidence for international tribunals prosecuting Khmer Rouge leaders decades later.
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