According to data released by the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM), only 378 political prisoners were released during the military council’s New Year amnesty, while over 20,000 political prisoners remain in detention. Although the military council announced the release of nearly 5,000 prisoners on April 17, the majority of political prisoners were not granted freedom. The released group includes 221 male and 157 female political prisoners from 33 prisons across the country.
Ko Thet Tun Oo, a leading committee member of PPNM, stated that while the military council claims to have released 200 political prisoners from Insein Prison, these numbers are still being verified. The current estimate suggests that more than 20,000 political prisoners continue to be held in various prisons throughout the country. The released political prisoners represent only about 10 percent of the total number of political detainees currently in custody.
While PPNM does not have direct access to verify conditions inside prisons, their estimates are based on testimonies from released prisoners, reports from regional representatives, and ongoing monitoring efforts. Ko Thet Tun Oo explained that the actual number of released prisoners could be either higher or lower than current estimates due to these limitations in data collection and verification. The situation highlights the ongoing detention of thousands of political prisoners by the military council, despite the recent amnesty announcement which affected only a small fraction of those being held.
