Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, occupies the grounds of what was once Security Prison 21 (S-21)—a brutal detention and interrogation centre operated by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. Originally a high school, the building was transformed into a prison where over 14,000 men, women, and children were tortured before being executed at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.

Cells, torture implements, leg irons, and bloodstains remain intact, preserved as haunting evidence of the atrocities committed. The walls are lined with thousands of mugshots taken of the victims upon arrival, their faces forever frozen in fear or confusion. Only a handful of prisoners survived S-21.

Today, Tuol Sleng functions as a genocide museum dedicated to preserving the memory of those who perished and educating future generations about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime. Exhibitions include personal stories, historical context, and testimony from survivors. It is one of the most emotionally devastating and important sites of dark tourism in the world.