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Former Khmer Rouge jailer charged First Khmer Rouge leader charged
(10 minutes later)
An ex-Khmer Rouge prison chief has been charged with crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia.An ex-Khmer Rouge prison chief has been charged with crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia.
Kang Kek Ieu, also known as Duch, was in charge of the notorious S21 jail in the country's capital, Phnom Penh.Kang Kek Ieu, also known as Duch, was in charge of the notorious S21 jail in the country's capital, Phnom Penh.
Duch is the first of five suspects whom prosecutors have asked judges to investigate, about deaths under the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s. Duch is the first of five suspects whom prosecutors have asked the tribunal to investigate over thousands of deaths under the Khmer Rouge regime.
As many as two million people are thought to have died during the four years of Khmer Rouge rule. More than a million people are thought to have died during the four years of Khmer Rouge rule between 1975-79.
Judges spent several hours interviewing Duch on Tuesday before formally filling charges against him.
Key figures in the Khmer Rouge
"The co-investigating judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia have charged Kang Kek Ieu, alias Duch, for crimes against humanity and have placed him in provisional detention," tribunal judges said in a statement.
Duch was not among the top level of Khmer Rouge leaders but he has become one of its most notorious members, according to the BBC's Guy De Launey in Phnom Penh.
He is the only Khmer Rouge figure already in custody - and has been in detention since 1999.
Long process
The UN-backed tribunal has taken years to get off the ground.
But by charging Duch, the judges are sending out a clear message that the special courts are now operational and moving more quickly than many people expected, our correspondent says.
Bringing in the other four suspects could, however, be more difficult.
None of them have been named officially but all of the surviving former leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been living freely in Cambodia, our correspondent adds.