Myanmar’s Junta announced on Sunday it would release more than 6,000 prisoners as part of an annual amnesty to mark the country’s Independence Day.
The Myanmar military has arrested thousands of protesters and activists since it took control of the country through a coup in 2021 that ended Myanmar's brief democratic experiment and plunged the nation into civil war.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has pardoned 6,134 imprisoned Myanmar nationals, the National Defence and Security Council said in a statement.
This includes 52 foreign prisoners who will be released and deported, it said in a separate statement.
According to state media, the releases are “on humanitarian and compassionate grounds” as the country marks 78 years of independence from British colonial rule.
Also Read: Myanmar junta holds first election in five years since coup
One family member of a prisoner waiting outside Insein Prison said he was hoping that his father would be released, adding that he was arrested and imprisoned for engaging in political activities.
Myanmar’s junta has faced ongoing criticism over its planned elections, which its leaders claim will restore democracy in the country.
However, international human rights experts and Western diplomats have branded the process as a sham, intended to extend military rule in the country. In previous elections under military influence, the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is widely seen as a proxy for the military, performed strongly.
The junta announced last month that thousands of prisoners convicted under post-coup laws restricting free speech would have their sentences reduced or waived.
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