Cambodia marked the 45th anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in Phnom Penh on Jan 7, 2024. - AFP
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has commuted prison terms for 245 prisoners, including 28 women, on the 45th anniversary of the Victory Day on Sunday (Jan 7), a spokesperson said.
"At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia, has reduced jail terms for 245 prisoners on this occasion," Ministry of Justice's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Kim Santepheap said in a post on his official Facebook page.
He said 244 prisoners had their prison terms reduced between three months and one year, and one inmate had her life imprisonment reduced to 30 years.
Under the kingdom's law, a prisoner is qualified for a royal amnesty provided he or she has served at least two-thirds of the jail term and behaved well in prison.
For a jail-term reduction, a well-behaved prisoner, who has served one-third of the prison term, will see his or her jail sentence reduced between three months and one year.
According to Santepheap, prisoners, who had committed serious crimes such as drug manufacturing or trafficking, atrocities, gang rapes, child rapes and blood relative rapes, were not considered for amnesty, nor jail term reduction.
The Southeast Asian country usually pardons or cut jail terms for prisoners on the occasions of the Victory Day, the Khmer New Year, the Buddha's Birthday, the Independence Day, and the Water Festival. - Xinhua
