UNION OF MYANMAR: PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE RELEASED IN AMNESTY BUT SCORES REMAIN BEHIND BARS

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6 Aug 2015
[International Secretariat]
Region: UNION OF MYANMAR
Topic: Individual at risk

The release of at least 11 prisoners of conscience in a mass prisoner amnesty in Myanmar today is a step in the right direction, but authorities must immediately clear the country’s jails of the scores of peaceful activists who still remain behind bars, Amnesty International said. 

The Myanmar authorities today released 6,966 people as part of a Presidential prisoner amnesty. Among those freed are at least 11 men who Amnesty International has designated prisoners of conscience – including media workers from the Bi Midday Sun newspaper, peaceful protesters and community leaders from the repressed Muslim Rohingya minority who have been serving in prison for eight year at maximum for publishing political news or participating in peaceful protests.

 “We are delighted that these 11 men can now walk free and return to their families, even if nothing can make up for the ordeal they have had to go through. But the fact remains that none of them should have been imprisoned in the first place,” said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s Research Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“We have seen an alarming increase in arrests and harassment of peaceful activists in Myanmar in the past year, with an increasing number of prisoners of conscience languishing behind bars. Releases like the one today will have little long-term effect if the laws that allow the authorities to crackdown on human rights defenders, students, journalists and government critics remain on the books.”

Today’s amnesty follows the announcement earlier this month that Myanmar will hold general elections on 8 November 2015. It is the first mass prisoner amnesty since October 2014, when thousands were released a few weeks ahead of Myanmar hosting two major international summits.

“The government must prove that this is more than an empty gesture to curry favour ahead of the November elections. The next step must be to release the scores of peaceful activists who still remain behind bars, and to drop charges against those facing imprisonment simply for peacefully exercising their human rights,” said Rupert Abbott.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
30 July 2015

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