Over 120 Arakan State political prisoners released in latest junta amnesty: rights group 

By Admin 02 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
2 August 2023, Sittwe

More than 120 political prisoners from Arakan State were among thousands pardoned by Myanmar’s military regime on Tuesday in a mass amnesty to mark the Full Moon Day of Waso, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
 
AAPP said the list of political prisoners released by the junta was collected until 10 a.m. on August 2, and is still being confirmed.
 
AAPP said the junta did not publicly release the profile information of the prisoners, which hindered compilation of the list of those who had been released.
 
An AAPP official said the junta’s releases of pro-democracy activists were just a ploy, in an attempt to sway the international community’s perception and fuel a false narrative that it was easing political repression.
 
“In fact, the junta has no interest in any kind of dialogue, as can be clearly seen when looking back at the arbitrary power grab in 2021 and the injustices committed against the ethnic groups for decades,” said U Taik Naing, secretary of the AAPP.
 
The political prisoners granted amnesty by the military regime are those who have only months left to be released, he added.
 
Myanmar’s military regime said it released 7,749 prisoners in its latest Full Moon Day amnesty. Among the prisoners released were 22 members of ethnic armed organisations, 72 people with links to the armed groups and 125 foreigners, junta-controlled media reported.
 
The regime also reduced the prison sentences of ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former President U Win Myint, though the former still faces decades behind bars.
 
AAPP Joint Secretary U Bo Kyi criticised the junta for what he described as using political prisoners to engage in hostage diplomacy.
 
“The junta’s pardoning of prisoners is not done with good intentions. Although the military council is granting amnesty, at the same time, we see that repression and violence continue throughout the country,” he added.
 
As of August 1 of this year, the civilian death toll attributed to Myanmar’s military coup had reached 3,861, and 24,130 civilians had been detained, according to the AAPP.