Additional political prisoners freed from Mawlaik Kalay Prison amid Myanmar junta’s amnesty claims

Mizzima

Additional political prisoners were freed from Mawlaik Kalay Prison in Sagaing Region on the eve of their scheduled release, according to family members and sources close to Mizzima.

The move follows the junta’s announcement on 26 November that it had granted amnesty to more than 8,000 prisoners, fugitives, and individuals charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code. The junta stated the amnesty was intended to ensure eligible voters do not lose their right to cast ballots in the upcoming elections.

Among the prisoners released were five women convicted under Section 505(a) on 27 November, along with two women and nine men sentenced under Sections 5 and 52(a) on 1 December, totalling 16 prisoners freed from Mawlaik Kalay Prison.

A source close to the families of political detainees dismissed the junta’s stated intentions. “Many of them were already just months or even days away from finishing their sentences. It’s an attempt to burnish their image by freeing those labelled as terror offenders,” the source told Mizzima.

“This is merely a bid to save face on the international stage. What the country truly needs is the immediate release of the more than 20,000 political prisoners unjustly detained nationwide for standing by their beliefs and the truth, so they can finally reunite with their families,” the source added.