Myanmar to release 5,600 prisoners detained in anti-junta protests

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(CNN) -

Myanmar's military junta has released hundreds of political prisoners, according to state media

on Tuesday.

The newspaper reported that 647 prisoners had been released from Yangon's Insein Prison, while 80 were released from a Mandalay prison.

Another 4,320 defendants currently in court will also be acquitted, a newspaper notice said.

The post follows the Board's announcement on Monday that it would release more than 5,600 people arrested for protesting the military government since the coup in February.

The released prisoners would have to sign a document pledging not to commit any act of violence against the country, the Board added.

Since the coup, Myanmar's security forces have arrested more than 9,000 people, of whom an estimated 7,355 remain in detention, according to the non-profit group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

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The Southeast Asian country plunged into chaos after the coup, with daily protests that continued for months and outbreaks of insurgencies in the border regions.

A bloody crackdown resulted in thousands of reported arrests, as well as widespread reports of torture.

A man is reunited with his family after being released from prison in Yangon, Myanmar.

Also on Monday, the head of the Board, General Min Aung Hlaing, criticized the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which said last week that it would exclude him from an upcoming meeting of the regional bloc.

Instead, a "non-political" figure from Myanmar would be invited to the ASEAN summit next week, the group said.

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In a statement, current ASEAN President Brunei said there was "insufficient progress" on a roadmap to restore peace in Myanmar, adding that the group would "give Myanmar room to restore its internal affairs and return to The normality".

In response, Min Aung Hlaing blamed the Myanmar opposition Government of National Unity and various armed ethnic groups for the ongoing violence, saying that ASEAN should have targeted them rather than the Junta.

"There was more violence due to provocations by terrorist groups," Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech on Monday.

"Nobody cares about their violence and they are just demanding that we solve the problem. ASEAN should work on that."

The comments, made on state television, are Min Aung Hlaing's first comments since the ASEAN announcement.

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Shortly after, the AAPP said that the Board's decision to release the prisoners "was not a coincidence" and was simply "a form of distraction for foreign governments" in the wake of the ASEAN decision.

"The Board will continue to refuse to be transparent about the individual persons released and who remains in detention," the AAPP said in a statement.

"The released 'protesters' were practicing the fundamental right to freedom of assembly against an illegitimate coup attempt."

The organization called on the Board to release all political prisoners, including the deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces a series of charges and has been under house arrest since February.

Captain Nyi Thuta, a former military officer now fighting the regime, also claimed that the Junta only released the prisoners because Min Aung Hlaing "was expelled from the ASEAN summit."

"The release of the prisoners is only to relieve international pressure, not out of good intentions for the people or the nation," he said, urging the Junta to "immediately hand over power to the people."

UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews welcomed the release of some prisoners, but said it was "outrageous" that they were detained in the first place.

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"The Board is releasing political prisoners in Myanmar not because of a change of mind, but because of pressure," he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Min Aung Hlaing declared himself prime minister of a newly formed provisional government in August, promising to hold new elections within two years and to work with a special envoy appointed by ASEAN.

Wayne Chang, Cape Diamond, and Hannah Ritchie contributed to this report.

Myanmar