Vann Nath (Khmer: វ៉ាន់ណាត; 1946 – 5 September 2011)[1][2] was a Cambodian painter, artist, writer, and human rights activist.

He was one of only seven known adult survivors of S-21 camp, where 20,000 Cambodians were tortured and executed during the Khmer Rouge regime (Democratic Kampuchea).

They earned a living by selling a type of Khmer rice noodles called num banhchok.

When his sister died, Vann Nath left the monkhood to start working to help support the family.

Vann Nath was a painter and writer whose memoirs and paintings of his experiences in the infamous Tuol Sleng prison are a powerful and poignant testimony to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge and the communist regime.

Vann Nath was an outspoken advocate for justice for victims of the crimes of the Khmer Rouge and this is reflected in his writing.

His life was only spared by his captor, Comrade Duch, so that he could be put to work on painting and sculpting portraits of Pol Pot.

To recognize their work, both Vann Nath and Rithy Panh have been conferred the title of Dr honoris causa by the University of Paris VIII on 24 May 2011.

[citation needed] Despite battling long-standing health problems, including chronic kidney disease, Vann Nath continued to paint and write about his experiences under the Pol Pot regime.