PHNOM PENH — About 300 convicts have submitted request for commutation of sentence on the occasion of Victory Day, which marks on January 7 the end of the Khmer Rouge regime and genocide.

On Dec. 11, Justice Ministry’s Secretary of State Kim Santepheap and Interior Ministry Secretary of State Chhem Savuth reviewed the requests of the convicts seeking commutation of their sentences or pardons on January 7.

According to a royal decree issued in January 2021, commutations of sentences and pardons for convicts are granted on Victory Day, Khmer New Year, Visak Bochea Day, which is a religious Buddhist celebration, Independence Day and the Water Festival.

“The national committee has so far received applications from about 300 convicts in 23 prisons and correctional facilities across the city and provinces,” Santepheap said. “Convicts should fulfill the legal conditions and requirements to expedite the approval process for commutation of sentences or pardons.”

Applications submitted include requests for pardons and sentence reductions of three, six, nine and 12 months.

The convicts’ requests will first be sent to Justice Minister Koeut Rith who also heads the national committee for sentence review and evaluation. The list will then be sent to Prime Minister Hun Manet before the final approvals of royal pardons or sentence reductions are issued.

The amnesty is usually granted to convicts who are elderly, have a chronic disease or disability confirmed by a doctor’s certificate, or women convicts who are pregnant.

On Victory Day in 2024, 245 convicts including 28 women had their sentences reduced. A few months later, more than 680 convicts received reductions of their prison terms or pardons during Khmer New Year and Visak Bochea Day.

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Rin Ousa for Cambodianess.