Mizzima
As part of the New Year’s prisoner amnesty on 17 April 2024, 20 prisoners were released from Mon State’s Kyaikmaraw Prison, but only three of them were political prisoners.
“Among the 20 released prisoners, three were female political prisoners. No male political prisoners were amongst those released this time”, said a source with knowledge of Kyaikmaraw Prison.
The three political prisoners who were released were Honey Kyaw Thet, Ei Ei Moe, and Hnin Hnin Yi, all of whom were serving sentences under the Counter-Terrorism Law. Few other details are known about them except that Honey Kyaw Thet has a seven-month-old child.
There are about 500 political prisoners in Kyaikmaraw Prison, of those about 300 are men and about 200 are women, according to the Kyaikmaraw Prison source.
The junta released 3,303 prisoners from prisons and detention centres across the country on the first day of the Myanmar New Year, 17 April. But U Thaik Tun Oo, a committee member of the Political Prisoner Network-Myanmar, told Mizzima that very few of the released prisoners were political prisoners.
A former political prisoner remarked that the junta’s move appeared to be an attempt to demonstrate clemency to the international community. He also pointed out that most of the released prisoners were nearing the end of their sentences.
Amongst the political prisoners released as part of the amnesty was U Thant Zin Tun, a member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) who represented Nay Pyi Taw’s Zabu Thiri Township, who was released from Mandalay Prison.
In Kachin State, U Ne Win, the former Minister of Social Affairs for Kachin State, U Zaw Win, the former NLD Government Immigration Minister and the Reverend Hkalam Samson, the former head of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) were released from Myitkyina Prison. Unfortunately, Reverend Samson was rearrested the day after he was released, 18 April.
More than 45 prisoners were released from Pathein Prison in Ayeyarwady Region, but of those only four were political prisoners, according to a source with knowledge of the prison.
