Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - New round of pardons in time for holiday

New round of pardons in time for holiday

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Workers decorate a boat with lights for the upcoming Water Festival. The holidays will see a new round of pardons for prisoners. Hong Menea

New round of pardons in time for holiday

The National Committee for Punishment Reduction and Exemption Review will consider a new round of pardons for 523 prisoners in the run-up to the upcoming Water Festival, said Soch Sophanara, a senior official at the Ministry of Justice.

He said on Wednesday that the review would be based on legal principles and humanitarian grounds and that the committee will also consider the seriousness of the convicts’ crimes and their prison behaviour.

“First, the prisoner must be over 65 years old. Second, the prisoner suffers from a serious illness. Third, we consider cases of women prisoners whose children are living with them in prison,” he said.

“Also, if we see that prisoners have not learnt their lesson and their [criminal] case is so horrible that releasing them can affect the security of our society, then the committee will not review [their cases],” he added.

He said that the government had also asked the ministry to consider releasing more prisoners for other upcoming public holidays in 2018, including the newly established Win-Win Policy Day on December 29.

The day marks the 20th anniversary of the policy that Prime Minister Hun Sen used to entice Khmer Rouge leaders to join peace talks in 1990.

General Department of Prisons deputy director-general Uch Pong said there are currently 31,226 prisoners nationwide, of which 2,663 are women.

MOST VIEWED

  • Kep selected for ‘world-class’ 2.7km beach development

    Kep province has been selected as the first site of a new coastal development initiative, with a “world-class” 2.7km beach planned for the near future. The Kep Provincial Administration met with the National Committee for Coastal Management and Development to discuss the development of the

  • Manet calls for Cambodia’s railways to get back on track

    Prime Minister Hun Manet has instructed the relevant authorities to expedite studies into upgrades to the Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk railway line. He suggested that the maximum speed on the line should be increased to 80km/h, in order to expedite the transportation of

  • 70th Independence Day a reminder of Khmer unity

    As Cambodia celebrated the 70th anniversary of its independence on November 9, King Norodom Sihamoni called for national unity while Prime Minister Hun Manet pledged to follow suit to the heroism of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Manet swore to protect the independence, sovereignty, peace

  • Calls for measures to cut Phnom Penh-S’ville expressway casualties

    Sun Chanthol, deputy prime minister and first vice-president of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), expressed concern over the safety of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, which saw 334 road accidents and five fatalities in the past year. Traffic experts have urged stricter road traffic

  • PM endorses expansion of military ties with China

    Prime Minister Hun Manet has expressed his endorsement for the ongoing strengthening and expansion of Cambodia-China military cooperation in various domains, including joint training exercises, human resources development, unit-to-unit collaboration and mine clearance efforts within Cambodia. Manet’s imprimatur came during his meeting with General

  • Politicians can learn from Independence Day

    Every time we begin a conversation on Cambodia’s Independence Day, we bring up the name of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who did everything in his power to support Cambodia’s independence. The King Father accomplished a great deal for Cambodia, and his