Military-ruled Myanmar's promise to free 7,012 prisoners as the nation marks its 75 years of independence from Britain includes the anticipated release of about 300 political detainees, the United Nations estimated.
Though the release of political prisoners in Myanmar is not only a relief to those unfairly detained, but also their families, said Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the military junta is still holding thousands of others in detention for opposing military rule.
"Even as news emerged about the amnesty to mark the country's independence day, we continued to receive reports of people being detained for opposing military rule, many of whom have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment," he told reporters in Geneva on Friday.
"Such detentions are not only intended to silence the junta’s critics, but are also designed to instil fear," he said. "The pathway out of Myanmar’s crisis is not by locking people up – it is by allowing them to freely, fully, and effectively participate in political life."
📣 Our latest Humanitarian Update is out! Almost 2 years since the 2021 military takeover, the people of Myanmar 🇲🇲 continue to suffer amid hostilities & a crippling economic crisis that is being compounded by inflation.
— OCHA Myanmar (@ochamyanmar) December 30, 2022
➡️ Full report here: https://t.co/zmnqwqy0og pic.twitter.com/zIsixXCKwf
'The situation continues'
Myanmar's junta, which seized power almost two years ago, has not specified whether the mass pardons included political dissenters.
Laurence said his office had received information from credible sources that nearly 17,000 people have been arrested since the coup, but more than 13,000 remain in detention.
As part of the amnesty this week, he said, more than 7,000 prisoners were released, including "about 300" political prisoners – 195 have been verified.
But "on the very day that these political prisoners were released, another 22 were detained," he noted. "So the situation continues."
