Political prisoners in Myanmar not included in the 1,600 released as part of a new year amnesty

ASEAN – Families of arrested Myanmar protestors were disappointed to learn that political detainees were not among the 1,600 persons freed by the military junta to celebrate the Buddhist new year.

The Southeast Asian country has been in upheaval since Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic administration was deposed by a military coup last year, sparking massive demonstrations and a bloody crackdown.

To celebrate the new year, state media reported that 1,619 convicts, including 42 foreigners, had been “pardoned” and would be released – an annual event that saw 23,000 prisoners released last year.

“Political cases and protestors were not among those freed,” a prisoner released from Yangon’s Insein jail told AFP, adding that officials only released criminals.

On Sunday afternoon, the crowds in front of the jail gradually dispersed. According to journalists, more than 100 individuals gathered in the hopes of being reunited with loved ones.

A lady was among them, waiting for her 19-year-old nephew, who had been sentenced to three years in prison for inciting military retaliation.

“He was young, and he could have had some fighting impulses,” she claimed, declining to reveal her identity.

Related Posts

“I hope that all young children, including my nephew, be released. They were all innocent.”

Aye Myint had hoped that her 19-year-old daughter, who was serving a three-year sentence on a political charge, would be freed.

“She’s been in prison for more than a year now,” Aye Myint remarked.

A jail officer acknowledged that “around 160 detainees, including six women prisoners” had been freed from Insein’s prison, but provided no other details.

There was no mention of Sean Turnell, an Australian economist who was a former advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi and was detained immediately after the coup.

He is presently facing charges of violating the official secrets act, which carries a maximum term of 14 years in prison.

Katherine S

1/4 German, 3/4 Malaysian. I write, follow and monitor closely political news happening in Malaysia, and other happening news in the ASEAN region. Newswriter for the best ASEAN news website - The Asian Affairs.

Recent Posts

V Surprises ARMY with Two Holiday Releases: A Festive Collab with Park Hyo-shin and “White Christmas” Cover

For K-pop fans, the Christmas season this year has become even more magical as several of their preferred stars reveal…

November 22, 2024

Celine Names TWS as Global Ambassadors Following Suzy Bae Announcement

After Suzy Bae's nomination as Celine's worldwide ambassador, the venerable French luxury fashion company has taken another bold step choosing…

November 22, 2024

Reddit Faces Widespread Outage, Users Turn to Workarounds Amid ‘Server Error’ Messages

Thousands of users of the well-known social network Reddit were left without access after a major outage of the website.…

November 22, 2024

Anne Hathaway Casted as ‘Verity’ in Colleen Hoover’s Book Adaptation

Anne Hathaway is slated to play the much expected film version of Colleen Hoover's best-selling book Verity in front of…

November 21, 2024

Gucci Set to Revolutionize Fashion Presentations with Unified Shows in 2025 under Sabato De Sarno’s Vision

Gucci is ready to change its presentation approach for 2025 in a radical action aimed to revolutionize the fashion industry.…

November 21, 2024

South Korea’s “Korea Discount”: Addressing the Governance Gap to Boost Market Value

As world investors wait for significant changes that might solve long-standing problems of governance and responsibility in South Korea's companies,…

November 21, 2024

This website uses cookies.

Read More