Myanmar president grants amnesty to 8,490 prisoners

‘Refer Myanmar to ICC’

YANGON, Myanmar, April 17, (AP): Myanmar President Win Myint has granted amnesty to more than 8,500 prisoners, reportedly including at least three dozen political prisoners.

The amnesty, announced Tuesday, coincided with Myanmar’s traditional New Year. It was granted to 8,490 Myanmar citizens and 51 foreigners. A statement from presidential spokesman Zaw Thay said those released included the aged, people in ill health and drug offenders. None was individually named.

It also said 36 of those freed had been listed as political prisoners by the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The releases were to take place at prisons nationwide. Relatives and friends of those held waited Tuesday outside the gates at Insein Prison, in the northern outskirts of Yangon, where it was expected that more than 300 prisoners, including eight political detainees, would be released.

As they came through the gate, the released prisoners looked excited, though many were reluctant to be interviewed.

One of those freed was Saw War Lay, a member of the Karen ethnic minority who was arrested in 2006 and is serving a life sentence for his connection with the Karen National Union ethnic rebel group.

“I really would like to say many thanks to the president. And I wish he will be successful in his peace process,” he said, referring to government efforts to reach an agreement with all the ethnic minorities to end decades of conflict. “But I am so sad for those prisoners who (are) still inside.”

Two Christian pastors from the Kachin minority were freed from a prison in Lashio, in northern Myanmar, in a more recent and high-profile case.

Last year, Pastor Dumdaw Nawng Lat, 65, was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison and Baptist youth leader Langjaw Gam Seng, 35, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months for allegedly providing support to an ethnic armed group and defaming the military.

Also: UNITED NATIONS:

A lawyer from Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority who focuses on the trauma, mass rape and trafficking of its girls and women urged the UN Security Council on Monday to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court for “horrific crimes” against the Rohingya and other ethnic groups.

Razia Sultana, who has been working with Rohingya girls and women in refugee camps since 2014, told the council: “Where I come from, women and girls have been gang raped, tortured and killed by the Myanmar army for no other reason than for being Rohingya.”