Former Khmer Rouge military chief Ta Mok died today in an army hospital in the Cambodian capital.
Former Khmer Rouge military chief Ta Mok
The one-legged 82-year-old had been one of Pol Pot's most ruthless henchmen and was a key defendant in upcoming "Killing Fields" trials.
Dubbed "the Butcher" for overseeing mass purges during the ultra-Maoist regime's four years in power, Ta Mok had been in hospital with breathing problems since last month. He lapsed into a coma a week ago, his lawyer said.
Around 1.7 million people - a quarter of the population - are thought to have died under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, which seized power in 1975. They were ousted by invading Vietnamese troops in 1979.
Many of their victims were tortured and executed. Others died of starvation, disease or overwork as the guerrilla movement's "Year Zero" dream of creating an agrarian utopia descended into the nightmare of the "Killing Fields".
None of the Khmer Rouge leaders faced justice for the atrocities, although a special Cambodian-UN court has just started work and is expected to be fully operational next year.