On Monday, Myanmar’s military administration freed 3,113 detainees, including 98 foreigners, to celebrate New Year.
Since 2021, the military-led government has imprisoned thousands of opponents and pro-democracy activists.
In a statement, junta state secretary Lieutenant General Aung Lin Dwe called the amnesty a “celebration of Myanmar’s New Year to bring joy for the people and address humanitarian concerns.”
A junta official didn’t respond to a call on Monday’s amnesty.
After a mock trial, Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is serving 33 years in prison.
The junta jailed other prominent members of her democratic government overthrown in the 2021 coup.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group, reports 17,460 detainees and 3,240 junta deaths.
The junta occasionally releases inmates, although this year’s and 2022’s numbers are a fraction of 2021’s 23,000 released during the same Buddhist holiday.
Many foreign leaders and human rights organizations have urged the junta to release all political prisoners.
Comment Template