Burma to Grant Amnesty to 6,300 Prisoners

Burma said on Tuesday that it would grant amnesty to more than 6,300 prisoners, according to media reports.

The southeast Asian nation, also known as Myanmar, has been under fire from rights groups and press watchdogs for not going through with proposed reforms after the country held its first democratic elections after decades under military junta rule.

The announcement came via state-run television but did not specify if political prisoners would be released.

The Irrawaddy publication quoted MRTV as saying that those who are elderly, disabled, ill, or served a portion of their sentence on good behavior would get first priority for amnesty.

Sources told the publication that 600 or so political prisoners would be released, including several prominent figures.

Burma reportedly has more than 2,000 political prisoners, including pro-democracy activists, opposition figures, monks, and members of ethnic minorities. Many Western powers have sanctions on the country, citing political prisoners as a main reason for doing so.

The announcement to release the prisoners came just hours after the country established a new human rights commission, which wrote a letter to the president’s office urging him to release “prisoners of conscience,” reported the Irrawaddy.