(KPL)The National Pardon Committee convened on Sept 10, 2025, to review applications for pardons, sentence reductions, and prisoner releases for this year. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Vily Lakhampong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Security, and Chairman of the National Pardon Committee.

Also present were Mr. Xaysana Khodphouthon, Member of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor’s Office, Acting Deputy Chairman of the National Pardon Committee, along with members of the committee and its Secretariat.

During the meeting, Mr. Xaysana presented the results of the review process. He reported that 2,867 prisoners submitted applications for clemency, including 364 women and 59 foreigners, of whom seven were women. Of this total, 2,640 prisoners requested sentence reductions, while 227 petitioned for full releases.

The review process also encouraged pardon committees at all levels to coordinate with the justice sector and enforcement agencies to collect fines and civil damages owed by prisoners. More than 13.3 billion kip was collected nationwide, including over 3.1 billion kip in civil damages and more than 10.22 billion kip in criminal fines.

Committee members discussed the applications in detail and emphasized the importance of ensuring that pardon work is carried out effectively. They highlighted the role of humanitarian policies in helping prisoners understand state policies and rebuild themselves as law-abiding citizens, thereby contributing to social peace, order, and national development.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Vily stressed that the National Pardon Committee and its Secretariat must strengthen their responsibility in conducting reviews strictly in line with laws, pardon decrees, and related legislation. He underscored that the process must remain accurate, transparent, timely, and consistent with the principles of social justice.

KPL