Inmates gather in Kampot provincial prison in a photo taken in 2019. KAMPOT PROVINCIAL PRISON
The National Commission to Review and Request Sentence Reductions and Pardons on April 29 convened a meeting to evaluate which inmates were eligible for clemency.
Ministry of Justice spokesperson Kim Santepheap confirmed on May 1 that the commission had convened the meeting, but the number of prisoners proposed for royal pardons or reduced sentences had not been finalised. A technical team was continuing to review the last few documents. After the review, the number would be known.
The ministry said in an April 29 Facebook post that justice minister Koeut Rith led the meeting to review the eligibility of the 1,286 inmates, 127 of them women, for royal pardons or reduced sentences that were proposed by prisons in the capital and provinces and four correctional centres.
The post said the meeting was attended by Ministry of Interior secretary of state Pao Ham Phan, Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor general Ouk Savuth, and representatives from the General Department of Prisons (GDP) and the interior ministry’s Legislative Council .
Banteay Meanchey provincial prison director Ung Siphan said on May 1 that the provincial prison had held meetings, decided on its recommendations for royal pardons or reduced sentences, and then sent the list to the national commission one month ago. They had not yet received word from the commission as to which recommendations would be approved. The prison was in a normal state and was not overcrowded, he noted.
Am Sam Ath, deputy director of rights group LICADHO, said on May 1 that the process was very slow, and there had always been delays.
He added that according to a royal decree on royal pardons or reduced sentences, clemency requests are granted several times a year. When the national commission does the work slowly, it leads to further backlogs next time the process is repeated, he said.
“As a civil society organisation, we want to see speedy process with increased transparency,” he said.
Sam Ath added that the delays meant prisons remained overcrowded, which had impacts on hygiene, health, food supplies and others areas in prisons.
Santepheap said the national commission convened the meeting on April 29 to decide on requests for all national holidays for this year, including the recent January 7 Victory Day and Khmer New Year and the upcoming Visak Bochea Day.
Under Article 3 of the royal decree, the national commission requests royal pardons or reduced sentences for prisoners five times a year – January 7 Victory Day, Khmer New Year, Visak Bochea, Independence Day and the Water Festival.
