AKP Phnom Penh, A list of 684 prisoners, 64 of whom are women, has been endorsed for an assessment for the royal pardon during the upcoming Water Festival and Independence Day.

A meeting to review the prisoners qualified for jail term reduction and elimination took place on Oct. 6 here at the Ministry of Justice under the chairmanship of Justice Minister H.E. Koeut Rith.

According to H.E. Kim Santepheap, Secretary of State and Spokesperson at the Ministry of Justice, of the prisoners, 626 (55 women) were requested for jail term reduction, while 57 (9 women) for jail elimination.

Those inmates are from the 20 municipal and provincial jails and the 4 correction centres across Cambodia, he added.

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.

It is a usual practice in Cambodia that the government allows the consideration of inmates with special condition and good performance to be granted royal pardon or jail term reduction during major traditional celebrations, like January 7 Victory Day, Khmer New Year, Visak Bochea, National Independence Day and Water Festival.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press