Almost 6,000 people are being released from prison in Burma, including Britain’s former ambassador Vicky Bowman and her husband, and the activist Mya Aye, a leader of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, reports the Guardian.
That still leaves a record high of 13,000 political prisoners in detention. “Despite the record number of political prisoners, they barely get mentioned by governments and world leaders,” said Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, senior advocacy officer at Burma Campaign UK and daughter of Mya Aye. “The fact that so many people have been jailed demonstrates the level of fear the Burmese military have of the people of Burma. The Burmese military are afraid for their survival and arrest anyone they see as a threat.”