JAKARTA - To prevent the spread of cases of COVID-19 infection, amid a surge in infection cases in Myanmar, the military regime plans to release prisoners who are under the country's legal system.
Prisoners accused of committing crimes before the February 1 coup will soon be released from custody, the Myanmar military regime announced on Wednesday, July 21.
In its announcement, the military regime said all criminal cases against those facing trial on 11 different charges, including gambling, drug-related offenses, and prostitution, would be dropped.
The regime cited arrears in court hearings due to COVID-19 restrictions as the reason for the move, which comes amid growing concerns about the spread of the disease in the country's overcrowded prisons.
It is not clear how many prisoners will be released under the order. No releases were made on Wednesday night, according to prison authorities.
"We can only release them if (the regime) rejects the charges. When they do, we can immediately release the recordings", said a prison official contacted by Myanmar Now, as quoted Thursday, July 22.
He added that the court may still be examining the list of detainees to determine who qualifies for release.
"We can only release them when we get a release order. Since the prisoners (to be released) are not permanent prisoners, we don't know the exact number yet", the official explained.
However, the order does not apply to regime opponents who have been detained since the military seized power. According to charges before February 1, it is likely that thousands of people detained for opposing the military coup, including political figures and activists, will remain in detention.
"If they're worried about inmates getting COVID-19, shouldn't they release everyone? Prostitutes and drug addicts aren't the only ones affected by the pandemic", said Khin Maung Zaw, a lawyer who is part of the defense team for Myanmar's civilian government leaders. overthrown.
On the other hand, this release was followed by fears by some that the action would be followed by an increase in arrests targeting opponents of the Myanmar military regime. The way to empty the prison.
"It makes me think they are creating more space inside the prison, so it can hold more political activists who oppose them," said an official with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) who asked not to be named.
Previously, the regime had released large numbers of prisoners since it seized power. On February 12, the regime announced a mass amnesty of more than 23,000 prisoners and in April, released an equal number to mark the start of the Buddhist New Year.
The February release coincided with the start of mass protests against the military takeover and was seen by many as an attempt to create chaos, as many prisoners were released in the middle of the night in residential areas.
Recently, Myanmar's military regime claimed only six inmates at Insein Prison, the largest detention center in the Land of a Thousand Pagodas, had contracted COVID-19 since the start of the third wave of the pandemic in early July, while a total of 375 cases have been detected in the country's prison system during the same period.
Among the infected prisoners was Nyan Win, a member of the executive of the ousted ruling party, the National League for Democracy, who died early Tuesday after being transferred from Insein prison to Yangon General Hospital.
SEE ALSO:
For information, AAPP data shows that more than 5,300 of those detained for anti-coup activities are still being held in Myanmar prisons.
The Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.
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