Today, prisoners of conscience Phyoe Phyoe Aung and her husband Lin Htet Naing were released along with other protesters who had been arrested in Myanmar for their activism.
This is a huge victory for human rights and human rights defenders.
“Phyoe Phyoe Aung’s release, along with many others today, is a victory for human rights and human rights defenders,” said Jasmine Heiss, senior campaigner with Amnesty International USA’s Individuals at Risk Program. “It is clear now how easily prisoners of conscience can be freed when there is political will to do so. The government of Myanmar must release all remaining prisoners of conscience and, further, ensure wholesale reform of all laws that violate the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, so that the country can end the cycle of politically motivated arrest and imprisonment once and for all. Phyoe Phyoe Aung and other human rights defenders are vital to shaping the country's future, so it’s crucial that the government work to create space in civil society for them to operate freely.”
"Release of Student Leader in Myanmar Must Lead to More Reform," April 8, 2016, Amnesty International USA
