The Discovery of S-21

In January 1979, two Vietnamese photojournalists stumbled upon a haunting site in Phnom Penh, known as S-21, which had been transformed from a school into a torture center by the Khmer Rouge. They found rooms filled with corpses, chains, and torture devices, highlighting the sinister nature of this facility that was synonymous with the brutal regime's crimes against humanity. This compound revealed the horrific reality of the Khmer Rouge's systematic imprisonment and execution of individuals, including children, as they sought to eliminate perceived enemies. The discovery underscored the stark contrast between the tranquil appearance of the area and the atrocities committed within its walls.