New Zealander jailed in Burma to be released Friday

Phil Blackwood, a New Zealand national incarcerated in Rangoon’s Insein Prison since December 2014, will be released on Friday.

A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the pending release.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to confirm Mr Blackwood is on the Myanmar Presidential Amnesty list which will allow him to be released from detention. This is understandably of significant relief to his family. MFAT, through the New Zealand Embassy and consular staff, has been providing consular assistance to Mr Blackwood and his family since his first arrest and detention. The New Zealand Embassy in Myanmar is liaising with the relevant authorities over the amnesty release arrangements and will advise the family,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to DVB on Friday.

The Assistance Association for of Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP-B) confirmed that 101 prisoners were released on Friday. Around 50 political prisoners were among the group, according to AAPP-B. (Courtesy of DVB)