The leader of the Khmer Rouge was Pol Pot, a Cambodian revolutionary who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea from 1963 to 1981. Pol Pot was born as Saloth Sar in 1925 and adopted the alias "Pol Pot" while leading the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime in Cambodia. During his time in power, Pol Pot implemented radical communist policies that led to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people through execution, forced labor, and starvation. The Khmer Rouge's reign of terror, known as the Cambodian Genocide, lasted from 1975 to 1979 and devastated the country. Pol Pot's leadership of the Khmer Rouge was characterized by extreme brutality and a ruthless determination to create an agrarian utopia through forced labor and mass executions. His regime targeted intellectuals, professionals, religious minorities, and anyone perceived as a threat to the communist ideology. Despite the atrocities committed under his rule, Pol Pot remained defiant and unrepentant until his death in 1998. He never faced justice for his crimes, as he lived in hiding for many years before dying of natural causes. The legacy of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge continues to haunt Cambodia to this day, as the country struggles to come to terms with the trauma and devastation inflicted by the regime. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established in 2006, has sought to bring some measure of justice to the victims of the genocide, but many questions remain unanswered. To learn more about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, visit [this website](https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/khmer-rouge) for a comprehensive overview of the regime's history and impact. Additionally, [this article](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29634022) from the BBC provides a detailed analysis of Pol Pot's leadership and the atrocities committed under his rule. In conclusion, Pol Pot's leadership of the Khmer Rouge was marked by extreme brutality and a complete disregard for human life. His legacy continues to be a dark chapter in Cambodian history, and the scars of his regime are still felt by the survivors and their descendants.

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