Cambodia frees 37 incarcerated mothers ahead of Khmer New Year

Cambodia on Sunday released additional 37 incarcerated women, who are either pregnant or recently gave birth in prison, ahead of Khmer New Year, which begins Tuesday, a spokesman said.

"At the request of Prime Minister Hun Sen, King Norodom Sihamoni has delivered pardons to 14 pregnant prisoners and 23 imprisoned mothers with infants ahead of Khmer New Year," Kim Santepheap, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, told Xinhua.

He said it was the second release after the first one was made on International Women's Day on March 8, involving 22 incarcerated mothers.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said on March 8 that the release was a humanitarian gesture because the government did not want to see their innocent infants to suffer punishment along with their jailed mothers.

The subsequent releases came after a local rights group Licadho issued a report in February, disclosing conditions of 40 children under four years old living with their mothers in prisons, where half of them were born.

Licadho said for children born to incarcerated mothers, early life behind bars can have devastating physical and psychological consequences.