Myanmar president pardons 83 political prisoners: official

Myanmar President Htin Kyaw pardoned 83 political prisoners on the country's traditional New Year Sunday, a spokesman from his office said, as the fledgling civilian-led administration seeks to cast off the shackles of nearly half a century of military rule. The new government, steered by veteran democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, has spent its first weeks in power freeing scores of political activists prosecuted under the country's former military leaders. "All of the 83 prisoners that the president gave amnesty to today are political prisoners and prisoners concerned with political cases," Zaw Htay, the deputy director of the president's office, told AFP.

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