Myanmar’s junta has pardoned and released more than 23,000 prisoners to mark the traditional Thingyan new year holiday, but it is not known if they include pro-democracy activists detained after the military seized power in February.
The releases were announced on the state broadcaster, MRTV, which said the junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, had pardoned 23,047 prisoners, including 137 foreigners who will be deported. He also reduced sentences for others.
It comes as daily protests against the 1 February ousting of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi continue, as does the use of deadly force against them.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which monitors casualties and arrests, government forces have killed at least 728 protesters and bystanders since the takeover. The group says 3,141 people, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are in detention.
Unconfirmed but credible accounts with photos on social media claimed three people were killed on Saturday by security forces in a violent crackdown in the central city of Mogok, in Myanmar’s gem-mining region.
Detainees released on Saturday from Insein prison in Yangon included at least three political prisoners jailed in 2019, said witnesses and local reports.❐
