FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
The regime pardoned 7,749 prisoners across Burma on Aug. 1. with over 120 political prisoners included in the amnesty, states the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP).
At least 256 prisoners were released from prisons in Rakhine State. The only political prisoner among them was Tin Tun Aung from Chin State. He had been sentenced to three years in prison for incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code. In 2021, Tin Tun Aung gave an interview to Western News, a Sittwe-based media outlet, where he spoke about a white flag that flew on a hill near a Burma Army base in Paletwa. After his conviction, he spent one year in Sittwe Prison.
In Shan State, 96 prisoners were released from Lashio Prison. Only one was reportedly a political prisoner. In Tanintharyi Region, more than 30 prisoners were released from Myeik Prison. But no political prisoners were reported among them. In Bago Region, five political prisoners were among the 101 released from Pyay Prison. Five political prisoners were among the more than 50 freed from Paungde Prison.
The AAPP is still in the process of verifying the exact number of political prisoners released in the Aug. 1 amnesty. The majority of those freed were convicted of incitement, nearing the end of their sentences, or Burma Army deserters, according to the AAPP. At least 24,130 people have been arrested since the 2021 military coup.
