The US State Department has hailed the sentencing of a Khmer Rouge prison chief to 30 years in jail for mass murders during the 'Killing Fields' era in Cambodia.
"The United States has long supported bringing to justice senior leaders and those most responsible for the atrocities perpetrated under the Khmer Rouge regime," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
"We welcome today's historic decision of the tribunal and the completion of the trial against Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, the former director of the infamous Khmer Rouge detention center S-21," he added.
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"We applaud the commitment of the national and international judges for their comprehensive and independent work to uphold international standards of justice and due process in this case," he said.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry issued a similar welcome.
"Today's sentencing helps deliver an important message that we must steadfastly pursue justice for the victims of the world's most horrific crimes," Kerry said.
"The conviction of the head of the Khmer Rouge's most infamous prison represents a historic, if delayed, step forward for Cambodia," said Kerry, a close ally of US President Barack Obama.
In a historic first, a UN-backed court Monday sentenced Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, to 30 years in jail for crimes against humanity over mass executions during Cambodia's "Killing Fields" era.
Duch was the first Khmer Rouge cadre to face justice in an international tribunal over the deaths of up to two million people through starvation, overwork and execution under the 1975-1979 regime.
"While not without its imperfections, the trial has allowed thousands of Cambodians to witness and participate in judicial proceedings for the unspeakable atrocities suffered by millions," said Kerry.
But to the dismay of survivors and relatives of victims, the court took into account the years he had already served since his arrest in 1999, meaning the 67-year-old could walk free in about 19 years.
Kerry travelled to Cambodia several times to help broker the compromise that led to the creation of the court that tried Duch.
