AKP Phnom Penh, April 09, 2025 --

Nine hundred inmates across the Kingdom of Cambodia have applied for sentence reductions or royal pardons in conjunction with the upcoming Khmer Traditional New Year and Visak Bochea Day celebrations in 2025.

The applicants are incarcerated in prisons spanning 21 provinces and the capital, as well as four correctional education centres.

The National Commission for Review and Assessment of Prisoners' List for Royal Pardon and Elimination convened on April 8 afternoon, at the Ministry of Justice to review these applications. The meeting was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice H.E. Koeut Rith, who heads the commission.

Attendees at the session included the commission's vice-chairs and members, representatives from the four correctional education centres, assigned prosecutors, and relevant officials from both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior.

The commission evaluated the requests of 494 inmates (including 35 women) seeking clemency for Khmer New Year and 406 inmates (including 41 women) who applied in observance of Visak Bochea Day, bringing the total number of applications to 900 (with 76 women among the applicants).

The breakdown of the inmates' requests is as follows: 597 inmates (39 women) requested a 3-month sentence reduction; 189 inmates (17 women) requested a 6-month sentence reduction; 74 inmates (15 women) requested a 9-month sentence reduction; 14 inmates (3 women) requested a 12-month sentence reduction; 2 inmates requested the commutation of their life sentences to 30 years; and 24 inmates (2 women) requested a full royal pardon.

The commission's evaluation process involved a comprehensive review of each request by prison and correctional authorities to ensure adherence to all legal and procedural requirements.

Granting sentence reductions and royal pardons during significant national and religious holidays is a long-established practice in Cambodia. This tradition offers eligible inmates the prospect of serving a shorter sentence or being released as a mark of clemency during important occasions such as January 7 Victory Day, Khmer New Year, Visak Bochea, National Independence Day and Water Festival.

The prisoners entitled for the evaluations are those who are aging, disabled, having chronic disease, and charged with minor crimes.

In addition, they must have served at least two thirds of their sentence for prisoners seeking term elimination, and one third for those requesting for term reduction.

By K. Rithy Reak