36 political prisoners included in Thingyan presidential amnesty
Two Kachin pastors and a Buddhist abbot jailed for “Unlawful Association” are freed, but Reuters journalists remain behind bars.
Two Kachin pastors and a Buddhist abbot jailed for “Unlawful Association” are freed, but Reuters journalists remain behind bars.
Former political prisoners are still locked in a battle against depression and anxiety – the aftermath of decades of imprisonment and isolation.
“They [NLD] should seek to propose a definition for what exactly constitutes a political prisoner.”
The campaign marks the third anniversary of the death of veteran journalist and former political prisoner Win Tin, who died on 21 April 2014.
“There are still political prisoners behind bars despite the election of a civilian government,” said Ashin Sandar Thiri, a spokesman for the monks.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs said 274 political cases had been closed in the first 100 days of the new government.
Burma freed 101 political prisoners last week, bringing the number of political detainees released by Thein Sein to more than 1,200 under his reign.
The release, which included several high-profile prisoners of conscience, comes after recent pressure on the Burmese government from the United States, as well as rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
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Jailed for religious defamation, New Zealander Phil Blackwood is the sole foreigner on Amnesty International’s list of 91 prisoners of conscience in Burma.
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Five journalists were among at least 13 political prisoners released as pardons are granted to 6,996 inmates across Burma in a presidential amnesty.
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Doctors are obliged to maintain professional ethnics. The health of our political prisoners is an emergency, and we cannot wait.
The Former Political Prisoners’ Society plan to send a letter to President Thein Sein demanding the release of all political prisoners before the election.
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US delegation at official talks in Naypyidaw after meeting civil society groups, in the same week Samantha Power also comments on human rights in Burma.
Former political prisoners and their families meet with the NLD and AAPP in Arakan State to discuss their experiences and support needs.
Activist groups AAPP and FPPO re-launch a photograph campaign calling for the release of the remaining political prisoners in Burma.
President Thein Sein ordered the release of 3,073 prisoners on Tuesday, but it’s unknown how many political prisoners remain in jail.
Despite the president’s promise to rid Burma’s jails of political prisoners by the end of 2013, a leading advocacy group claims that the number of prisoners of conscience has increased over the past year.
The majority of political prisoners registered are affected by poor health and many have found it difficult to find work. A large number of former political prisoners cannot now support their families.
Buddhist monk Rakkha Wuntha was in jail for his political beliefs. Now he’s marching all the way from Mandalay to Arakan state in support of the remaining political prisoners.
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President Thein Sein promised amnesty to all political prisoners before the end of 2013, but three days into the new year, only a handful have actually been released. Khin Cho[…]
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Burma released a handful of political prisoners on Tuesday after the government announced a year-end amnesty for those held in jail for political reasons.
Burma has released seven political prisoners since it announced a presidential amnesty, but many more are expected in the days ahead.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma is planning an event in Rangoon on 2 January to commemorate and honour political activists who have died behind the bars.
The Burmese government will release more than 200 remaining political prisoners in keeping with a promise President Thein Sein made during a visit to Europe earlier this year.
Forty-one political prisoners were released from various prisons across Burma on Wednesday in the latest of a series of amnesties by President Thein Sein’s government, according to presidential spokesman Ye Htut.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma and Former Political Prisoners Society will provide a certificate of honour and a donation of one million kyat to each of the families of some 50 political activists who died in Burmese prisons during the period of military junta rule since 1988.
Burma’s Committee for Scrutinizing Remaining Prisoners of Conscience is to submit a list recommending the release of 82 political prisoners and charges dropped against more than 200 persons who were detained under Section 18.
The Burmese government on Friday released another 69 political prisoners, including prominent anti-mine activist Naw Ohn Hla, marking the country’s latest efforts to appease western governments.
The Burmese government held a meeting with leaders from different political parties on Sunday to discuss plans to release all remaining political prisoners in Burma, state media reports.
Former political prisoners hold a press conference for the first time in 23 years to reveal how they were subjected to physical and psychological torture in Insein prison.