UN Rights Rapporteur Welcomes Political Prisoners Release

10 October 2013

The UN human rights rapporteur in Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana has welcomed the government’s decision to release 56 political prisoners on Tuesday, but also raised concerns over the ongoing detention of political prisoners. “These releases are not only important for the victims and their families, but also for the ongoing process of democratic transition and national reconciliation,” Quintana said. He, however, called for the release of four aid workers who were “arbitrarily detained” in mid-2012 in Arakan State, and Rohingya Muslim human rights activists, Dr. Tun Aung and U Kyaw Hla Aung, who were detained since June 2012 and July 2013, respectively.