Cambodian Khmer Rouge Sites Added to UNESCO World Heritage List

UNESCO has added three sites associated with Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime—Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, M-13 prison, and the Choeung Ek execution site—to its World Heritage List, marking the 50th anniversary of the regime's rise to power. These sites, which witnessed mass torture, executions, and deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979, represent significant historical landmarks of human suffering and resilience. The inscription is Cambodia’s first nomination for a modern conflict-related site and is seen as a step towards healing the wounds inflicted during the brutal regime. Tuol Sleng, formerly a high school turned prison, held around 15,000 prisoners who were tortured, while Choeung Ek was a mass grave and execution ground famously depicted in the film "The Killing Fields." The Khmer Rouge's brutal takeover led to the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh residents into harsh rural conditions until the regime was overthrown by a Vietnamese invasion in 1979. This UNESCO recognition places these sites alongside other globally important heritage sites, emphasizing their significance to humanity’s collective memory.