Timothy Williams: Ugly History: The Khmer Rouge murders

Ugly History: The Khmer Rouge murders

From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled Cambodia with an iron fist, perpetrating a genocide that killed one fourth of the country's population. Roughly one million people were executed as suspected political enemies or due to their ethnicities, and another million died of starvation, disease, or overwork. How did this happen? Timothy Williams details the rise of the Khmer Rouge. [Directed by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet, narrated by Safia Elhillo, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].

The Khmer Rouge's rise led to the deaths of nearly two million Cambodians—one fourth of the population—through executions, starvation, and overwork. This brutal regime targeted ethnic minorities and anyone seen as a political enemy, while also forcing all citizens into grueling agricultural labor. Decades later, the search for justice remains complex, with only a handful of leaders convicted and many perpetrators also seen as victims. Cambodia’s painful history reveals how violence can engulf an entire society, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator.