UPDATE (10:10 am): Nuth Savna, spokesperson and Deputy Director General of the General Department of Prisons, has been appointed director of Correctional Center 1 in Prey Sar prison, replacing acting director Mong Meng Orn, who was dismissed pending an investigation into his management. Savna will continue to serve as spokesperson and Deputy Director General alongside his new role.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has directed Interior Minister Sar Sokha to reshuffle the leadership at Correctional Center 1, the male facility within Prey Sar prison, which is notorious for overcrowding and poor conditions. This directive follows the viral posting of a video filmed in 2023 that shows Chinese and Cambodian inmates drinking and dancing.
“His Excellency Sar Sokha has reported, and I agree, that we must first strengthen the enforcement capacity at Correctional Center 1 by removing the current leadership and bolstering the facility’s security,” Manet said during an address to Army Brigade 70 at a commemoration event on Tuesday.
In addition to the crackdown at Prey Sar prison, Manet directed the interior minister to launch a nationwide reform campaign for the nation’s prisons, focusing on security personnel.
On October 14, the General Department of Prison (GDP) issued a statement confirming the authenticity of the video featuring both Chinese and Cambodian detainees.
According to its statement, the GDP dispatched officials on October 13 and 14 to investigate the case and other individuals potentially involved, including prison officials. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be made publicly available, the GDP stated.
Mong Meng Orn, the acting director for Correctional Center 1, declined to comment.
GDP spokesperson Nuth Savna stated that the department is focused on rectifying corruption practices at the prison which appear to have allowed inmates to access alcohol and other special privileges.
“We removed prohibited belongings from cells, such as refrigerators,” said Savna when referring to the ongoing overhaul at the prison.
Approximately 10 inmates who appeared in the video will be transferred to a “high security facility”, such as Correctional Center 3 at Tboung Khmum province near the Vietnam border, according to Savna. Additionally, the director, deputies and members of the bureau offices at Correctional Center 1 will be removed from their positions.
According to Savna, the video was filmed in 2023 during Chinese New Year, when guards allowed festivities among a select few of intimates.
“Generally, we permit limited and regulated celebrations during holidays, but the festivities seen in the video are illegal and break the rules,” he said.
The operations director of local rights group Licadho, Am Sam Ath, welcomed the investigation into authorities at the correctional facility.
“We have laws for prisons. Why did this improper situation occur?” he said.
“If investigators find that these prison officials committed criminal offenses, we must hold them accountable under the law and ensure transparency in prison management,” Sam Ath added, citing previous instances where criminal prison officials have been promoted rather than jailed.
Note: This story was updated at 10:10 am on October 17, 2024 after receiving documents from the Ministry of Interior confirming Savna’s appointment as director of CC1.
