Mawlamyine, May (4)
In Mon State, only 26 male and female political prisoners were among those granted amnesty by the military council to mark the full moon day of Kason, Buddha’s Day, reported the officials of the military council’s Prison Department.
Among those pardoned by the military council were 22 male and female political prisoners from Kyaikmaraw Central Prison and four from Thaton Prison, most of whom were women.
According to the military council, individuals who were freed were those who had served their terms in various jails, detention facilities, and prisons after being found guilty under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code.
According to Section 401, Subsection 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the parolees were released with the restriction that the new sentence would be added to the previous one if they committed another crime again.
A former political prisoner said that the release of political prisoners by the military council may be due to a lot of pressure, and considering only Article 505 as a political article harms other political prisoners.
The military council released those imprisoned under Section 505(a) to show the international community, but former political prisoners denounced the move as a sham because they did not release other politicians who were sentenced under several sections in addition to Section 505.
The military council has released 2,153 political prisoners nationwide who were charged under Article 505 (a), but on the other hand, other political prisoners are being sentenced to long prison terms, sentenced to death, and tortured in prison.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), nearly 18,000 of the more than 20,000 people detained following the military coup are still in custody, and 6,000 others have been sentenced to various prison sentences.
In Mon State, political prisoners are kept in Kyaikmaraw Central Prison and Thathon Prison, and there are nearly 400 male and female prisoners who have been arrested on political charges from various areas, including Yangon, Mandalay, Bago Regions, Karen, and Mon States.
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