MYANMAR – Although Zaw Min Tun, the junta spokesman, said that 600 political prisoners will be included in the pardon for Independence Day, the data collected from ten prisons only confirmed the release of around 150 political prisoners, said Mr. Taik Tun Oo from Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM).
Zaw Min Tun claimed that 600 political prisoners detained under section 505 including Dr. Khet Aung, the Kachin State Prime Minister, were released from prisons on January 4, Independence Day, but only around 150 have been confirmed to have been released so far.
“It is difficult for us to blindly trust the words of the junta council. As they have been lying in many ways since the coup, it is difficult to accept their words at face value. According to the data collected so far, we know that around 150 political prisoners from ten prisons were released,” said Mr. Taik Tun Oo.
He continued that they are still trying to check the validity of Zaw Min Tun’s claims and added that they will follow up with evidence.
