On Friday January 13th 2012, six hundred political prisoners were released in Burma. Burma has been ruled directly and indirectly by the military since 1962. This regime has been marked by systematic rape, torture and forced labour to the nation’s citizens. Most of the political prisoners took part in demonstrations against this repressive regime that has ruled the nation for decades. The political prisoners included political activists, leaders of repressed ethnic minority groups and journalists.  Many of these prisoners are serving sentences of several decades after trials with none or very little legal representation and they were spread out in the nation’s forty three prisons. The prison conditions are horrific with overcrowding, filth, bugs and a lack of appropriate food. There are several reasons for the prisoners release; one is that it is a step towards the country’s reform and the second is to end Burma’s isolation from the international community by adhering to the international human rights regimes and conventions.  Most of the political prisoners believe they were fighting for fundamental freedom and for them this liberty means that lovers and families are reunited.

Below is a link to a slideshow of pictures marking the special day: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2012/jan/13/burmese-political-prisoners-released-pictures