Yangon: myanmarThe K junta said on Saturday that it would release more than 800 prisoners as a mark of respect to the country. union day,
Junta chief Min Aung Huling’s statement said that in accordance with the “pardon order to commemorate Diamond Jubilee Union Day”, which falls every 12 February, 814 prisoners would be released.
Those who have been granted amnesty will mostly be from prisons in the commercial hub Yangon, Junta spokesman zo min tun told AFP. He did not say whether detained Australian academic Sean Turnell would be among those released.
Australian economics professor Turnell was acting as an advisor to the deposed civic leader Aung San Suu Kyi When he was arrested last February, just days after a military coup.
He has been charged with violating Myanmar’s official secrecy law and faces a maximum prison sentence of 14 years if convicted.
The junta released some 23,000 prisoners on Union Day last year, at the time some rights groups feared the move would free up space for opponents of the military and create chaos in communities.
According to a local watchdog group, the February 1, 2021 coup triggered mass protests and a bloody military crackdown, killing more than 1,500 civilians and arresting about 12,000.
Junta chief Min Aung Huling’s statement said that in accordance with the “pardon order to commemorate Diamond Jubilee Union Day”, which falls every 12 February, 814 prisoners would be released.
Those who have been granted amnesty will mostly be from prisons in the commercial hub Yangon, Junta spokesman zo min tun told AFP. He did not say whether detained Australian academic Sean Turnell would be among those released.
Australian economics professor Turnell was acting as an advisor to the deposed civic leader Aung San Suu Kyi When he was arrested last February, just days after a military coup.
He has been charged with violating Myanmar’s official secrecy law and faces a maximum prison sentence of 14 years if convicted.
The junta released some 23,000 prisoners on Union Day last year, at the time some rights groups feared the move would free up space for opponents of the military and create chaos in communities.
According to a local watchdog group, the February 1, 2021 coup triggered mass protests and a bloody military crackdown, killing more than 1,500 civilians and arresting about 12,000.
,