Among the more than 7,000 prisoners granted amnesty by Myanmar’s junta this week are about 300 political prisoners, the United Nations said on Friday.
The military junta, which seized power nearly two years ago, announced on Wednesday it would release 7,012 prisoners to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar’s independence.
It did not specify whether the amnesty covered those imprisoned as part of a brutal crackdown on dissent, but the UN rights office said political prisoners were among those released.
“About 300 are political prisoners,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters, citing “reliable sources”.
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He said that so far, 195 cases have been verified.
The local monitoring group AAPP also said it knew 300 political prisoners had been released. It has identified 223 of them and is working to verify more cases.
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“Releasing political prisoners in Myanmar is not only a relief for those unjustly detained, but also for their families,” Laurence said.
Myanmar pardons: ‘The situation continues’
When receiving the amnesty, Laurence stated that “on the day that this political prisoner was released, 22 others were detained.
“So the situation continues.”
And many of those detained for defying military rule, he said, “have been tortured and ill-treated”.
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“The arrests are not only aimed at silencing critics of the junta, but are also designed to instill fear.”
Nearly 17,000 people have been arrested since a military coup in February 2021, and more than 13,000 remain in detention, Laurence said, adding that UN rights chief Volker Turk is preparing a report on the situation in Myanmar.
“The way out of Myanmar’s crisis is not by locking people up, but by allowing them to participate freely, fully and effectively in political life,” he said.