Myanmar’s military government will release 9,652 convicts, including 114 foreigners, as part of an amnesty to commemorate the country’s independence day, according to official media.
According to the report, the Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since the military seized power in February 2021, reversing a decade-long democratic experiment and employing lethal force to repress protestors.
“With the intention of maintaining relations with other countries and on humanitarian grounds, 114 foreign prisoners will be pardoned,” the junta announced in a brief announcement on state TV.
According to local media, groups of people gathered outside Insein Prison in the country’s commercial hub Yangon, waiting for detainees to be released.
Meanwhile, Nobel laureate Aung Kyi is still imprisoned, having been sentenced to 27 years in prison for a variety of offenses ranging from incitement to election fraud to corruption. She denies all of the allegations.
The military maintains that she was treated fairly by an independent court.
Authorities usually release some inmates on the anniversary of Myanmar’s independence from British domination.
