BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s government has begun releasing about 2,300 prisoners, including activists who were detained for protesting against the military’s seizure of power and journalists who reported on the protests. Buses took prisoners out of Yangon’s Insein Prison, where friends and families of detainees had waited since morning for the announced releases. The head of the Yangon Region’s Prison Department confirmed that more than 720 people were released from the prison, which for decades has been the main facility for political prisoners. State media showed prisoners being released in other places around the country, and more are expected to be released over several days.

Photo courtesy Byron Fenster via AP
This photo provided by Bryan Fenster shows his brother Danny Fenster in September of 2019 in Kraków, Poland. Fenster, an American journalist working for a news magazine in Myanmar has been detained by the authorities there. Frontier Myanmar says Danny Fenster, its managing editor, was detained at Yangon's airport as he was preparing to board a flight to Malaysia.

Posted
and last updated
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.