The Myanmar Political Prisoners Network (PPNM) announced that the military commission released 268 political prisoners from 11 prisons across Myanmar on December 1.
The largest number—83 individuals—were freed from Tharyarwaddy Prison, followed by 50 from Daik-U Prison, 42 from Obo Prison, and 32 from Insein Prison.
Among those released were veteran journalist U Sithu Aung Myint, who had been imprisoned under Section 505(a) and Section 124(a) for allegedly undermining state stability, and singer Thandar Win, who had been detained under Sections 505(a) and 50(j), according to sources close to the detainees.
Ko Thike Htun Oo, a PPNM official, said, “Those who were released are mainly people charged with Section 505, along with other related cases. Since the military council dropped the 505 charges, many of them were already close to completing their sentences, so releasing them didn’t require much adjustment. On the other hand, dropping 505 right now is clearly to bolster support ahead of their upcoming election. This is just another batch of releases.”
Those freed also included Myat Min Thu, Khant Min Ko, and Thwin Ko Ko Zaw from Yamethin Prison in Mandalay Region, who had been arrested under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.
They were arrested in 2021 and sentenced to a total of eight years—three years under Section 505(a) and five years under Section 5 of the Explosives Act.
Ahead of its planned election, the military commission recently released 724 individuals imprisoned under Section 505(a) and dropped ongoing cases charged under the same section.
However, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the junta is still holding more than 20,000 political prisoners. Analysts criticized these sporadic releases as political maneuvering rather than meaningful action.
The international community continues to call for the release of all political prisoners, including President U Win Myint and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but the military commission has ignored these demands.
