Russia has requested that Cambodia speed up the case of a jailed Russian man arrested on Christmas Eve over allegations of having sex with three minors and making child pornography.

Petr Tikhonov, 46, was detained in Siem Reap in December following a week-long investigation reportedly sparked by incriminating photos posted on his social media account.

He has since resided in Siem Reap provincial prison. On Thursday, Russian Ambassador to Cambodia Dmitry Tsvetkov asked Interior Minister Sar Kheng to speed up the case.

“According to the relevant international convention and bilateral agreements, the ambassador regularly discusses with the concerned Cambodian agencies the issue of the rights and interests of Russian nationals including those who have been detained in the Kingdom,” a Russian embassy spokeswoman said yesterday. “This is just normal procedure.”

According to the National Police website, Sar Kheng told Ignatov he would push officials to expedite the case.

Khoem Vando, deputy director of field operations of anti-pedophile group Action Pours Les Enfants, which has provided legal assistance to the three victims, said that the provincial investigating judge had finished investigating and the trial would begin on July 21.