Two political prisoners who were released from Salay Prison in Magway Region after completing their sentences were immediately re-arrested by the military council forces at the prison gate, according to the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM). The two prisoners, lawyer U Htun Htun Aung and Ko Naing Htun Linn, were among four political prisoners released from Salay Prison on July 1st. While the other two were allowed to leave, these two individuals were detained again right at the prison entrance.
The two political prisoners had been detained since 2021 and had served their full sentences for all charges previously filed against them. However, military council forces re-arrested them at the prison gate under a new charge. They are currently being held at the Salay Township Police Station. This incident has raised serious concerns about the military council’s continued persecution of political prisoners even after they have served their sentences.
Ko Thaik Htun Oo, a central committee member of the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar, strongly condemned this action, stating that re-arresting released prisoners with new charges is completely unacceptable and goes against legal principles. He emphasized that if there were additional charges to be filed, they should have been included during the initial arrest and prosecution. The practice of adding new charges after release appears to be a deliberate tactic to continue the detention of political prisoners. The network has demanded the immediate release of these two individuals, who they maintain are being unjustly detained without any legitimate cause.
