Myanmar releases 25,000 prisoners amid virus fears

YANGON: More than a quarter of Myanmar’s prison population is being released, the president’s office announced Friday, after calls grew to ease pressure on overcrowded jails with coronavirus fears gripping the country.

The Southeast Asian nation grants an annual amnesty to thousands of prisoners to mark its April New Year holiday, but this is the largest recorded in recent years. It comes as governments around the world -- including the US, parts of Europe, and Colombia -- grapple with overcrowded prisons as fears spiral of virus outbreaks behind bars. "To mark Myanmar New Year, by respecting humanitarian ground and peace in mind of the people, the president pardons altogether 24,896 prisoners from various prisons," a statement on Friday from the president’s office said.

As news of the amnesty spread, crowds defied a new ban on gatherings of five or more people to assemble outside Yangon’s notorious Insein prison, hoping to see their family members freed.