A prisoner amnesty in Myanmar on Friday does not go nearly far enough as scores of peaceful activists remain behind bars, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said.
The government announced on January 22 the release of 102 prisoners, including at least 16 prisoners of conscience who Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had campaigned for.
Those released include three convicted of religious defamation in late 2014 for allegedly insulting an image of a Buddha in a bar advertisement. New Zealand citizen Philip Blackwood and his Myanmar business partners Ko Tun Thurein and Ko Htut Ko Ko Lwin were sentenced to two and half years hard labour. Other political prisoners released include land rights activists involved in protests at the Letpadaung copper mine and in Yangon. (Courtesy of Mizzima)
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