Following last month’s release of 16 incarcerated women, the government has assembled a team of experts to continue releasing women who are pregnant or have recently given birth.
The team, composed of 13 Health, Justice and Women’s Affairs ministry officials, are to visit about 10 prisons across the country.
The move follows Prime Minister Hun Sen’s call for the release of 40 women before the Khmer New Year, which arrives in April.
“[Today] we will hold a meeting with 13 officials to plan the visits to the prisons where pregnant women and the women who had babies are,” said Kim Santepheap, a Justice Ministry undersecretary of state.
Mr. Santepheap said he would serve as the director of the team, which will include officials from the Interior Ministry’s prison department, the Health Ministry’s child maternal health center and the Council of Jurists.
“We created the team because we want to check whether the women have the conditions they should [for release], and if we should request to pardon them or not,” Mr. Santepheap said.
