Blue Shirt Campaign launched nationwide to demand release of political prisoners

By Admin 21 Apr 2026

DMG Newsroom

21 April 2026, Yangon

A collaborative Blue Shirt Campaign has been launched across Myanmar, led by various organizations calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners detained in prisons nationwide.

The campaign has drawn broad participation from eight political prisoner advocacy groups, civil society organizations, revolutionary forces, strike committees, and members of the public.

“We are holding this Blue Shirt Campaign on April 21, marking the 21st anniversary of the passing of renowned Myanmar journalist Hantharwady U Win Tin. Leading up to this date, we brought together organizations working on political prisoner issues, with about eight groups joining the initiative alongside other supporting groups,” an official from the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar said.

The campaign, which began on April 10 and concludes on April 21, aims to secure the release of political prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained, the official told DMG.

Leading organizations have urged the public to take part in the movement to call for the freedom of all political prisoners, including detained leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

“This campaign honours U Win Tin, who wore a blue shirt from the day he was released after nearly 19 years in prison until his death. It also serves as a platform to continuously advocate for the release of all political prisoners,” the PPNM official added.

According to a statement by the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar, the campaign seeks to draw international attention to the regime’s arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of Myanmar citizens. It also calls for an immediate end to unlawful detentions, human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The organizers noted that the Blue Shirt Campaign will continue as an annual event.

“People should not remain silent about those unjustly detained. Political prisoners are losing their lives due to human rights violations committed by the regime inside prisons. Public participation is essential to securing their release,” said a family member of a political prisoner.

While the regime announced the release of more than 4,000 prisoners to mark the Myanmar New Year, data collected by the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar as of April 18 indicates otherwise.

According to the group’s statement, only about 1,600 prisoners were actually released, with political prisoners accounting for just 292 of the total.