Myanmar’s new government has taken a historic step just days after its taking charge and freed over hundred political prisoners.  The list of people who were freed also involves a significant number of student activists. The ruling party’s leader and Myanmar’s newly appointed State counsellor, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi has demonstrated the direction in which this government is headed. She has herself spent around 15 years under house arrest as a political prisoner and now her government is going to work towards an amnesty for all political prisoners and under-trial activists. Besides Ms. Suu Kyi, many of the members of National League of Democracy (NLD) who are currently members of parliament have been to jail in the past and serves time as political prisoners.

The ruling party of Myanmar has made it clear that releasing all the prisoners who were arrested by the previous government for staging peaceful protests will be one of its top priorities. The total number of political prisoners freed so far is 138 and this figure is expected to go higher in recent future. The decision to release these people was made at the Central Myanmar courthouse in Tharrawaddy where the judge announced the freedom of these political prisoners. The news was received with a lot of happiness and excitement and finally all 138 of them were released on the night of April 8, 2016.  There are still 47 such activists on remand in jail and another 298 on bail but still facing charges. President Mr. Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi are expected to push for their release as well through the means of a pardon signed by the President.