Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Museum in Phnom Penh

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Michael Gruijters

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, serves as a harrowing reminder of the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. Formerly a high school, the site was repurposed as Security Prison 21 (S-21), one of the regime’s most infamous detention and interrogation centers. Under Pol Pot’s leadership, the Khmer Rouge used S-21 to detain, torture, and execute individuals accused of opposing the regime. Of the approximately 18,000 people imprisoned there, only a handful survived.

The museum’s buildings retain much of their original structure, including the classrooms converted into cells, torture chambers, and mass detention areas. Visitors can see haunting photographs of victims, crude cells, torture devices, and detailed records meticulously kept by the Khmer Rouge, documenting the prisoners’ identities and forced confessions. Many of these individuals were intellectuals, professionals, and even children, targeted in the regime’s brutal efforts to create an agrarian utopia.

Today, the museum stands as a place of remembrance and education, shedding light on the horrors of genocide and the resilience of the Cambodian people. The site’s solemnity is preserved, and it plays a vital role in ongoing discussions about justice and reconciliation. Visitors are encouraged to reflect on the museum’s exhibits with respect and awareness of the atrocities that occurred within its walls.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Phnom Penh!

This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you!