Cambodian genocide denial was the belief expressed by many Western academics that claims of atrocities by the Khmer Rouge government ( 1975-1979 ) in Cambodia were much exaggerated . Many scholars of Cambodia and intellectuals , opposed to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War , denied or minimized the human rights abuses of the Khmer Rouge , characterizing contrary reports as " tales told by refugees " and U.S. propaganda . They viewed the assumption of power by the communist Khmer Rouge as a positive development for the people of Cambodia who had been severely impacted by the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War
atrocities by the Khmer Rouge
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide denial