Myanmar Military Releases Nearly 5,000 Prisoners for New Year, Rohingya Families Call for Justice

By: Camp Correspondent

April 18, 2025 | Rakhine State & Cox’s Bazar

The Myanmar military government has announced the release of 4,893 prisoners, including 13 foreign nationals, to mark the traditional Thingyan New Year festival, according to state media reports published on Wednesday.

The announcement includes a warning: any individual among the released who reoffends will be required to serve both the new sentence and the remaining part of their previous punishment. In addition to these releases, the junta has reduced the sentences of other prisoners by one-sixth, though they remain behind bars.

Rohingya Families Left Waiting

While the announcement has brought relief to many families across Myanmar, Rohingya communities in both Myanmar and Bangladesh say they remain excluded. Hundreds of Rohingya continue to be detained across Myanmar under vague or arbitrary charges, often without trial, legal representation, or access to family.

“My son was arrested in 2018. We don’t know where he is. He never committed a crime,” said a Rohingya father living in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.

Many of those detained are believed to be victims of mass arrests during military crackdowns in Rakhine State or those apprehended while attempting to flee Myanmar by sea.

Families separated by conflict and displacement have long appealed to the authorities for information and access to imprisoned relatives. This includes parents separated from their children, and young men detained simply for lacking identification documents.

“There are Rohingya boys as young as 14 in prison. If the military can release thousands for New Year, why not free the innocent Rohingya held without charge?” said a Rohingya human rights advocate.

Call for Equal and Fair Release

The Rohingya community, alongside rights organizations, is urging the State Administration Council (SAC) to include Rohingya political prisoners, arbitrarily detained civilians, and separated minors in any future amnesty efforts. They stress that true reconciliation and peace are impossible while ethnic discrimination in detention and release policies continues.