Ma Khin Khin Leh, a political prisoner in Myanmar, was unexpectedly released on Saturday, February 21, in the first group of…
Ma Khin Khin Leh, a political prisoner in Myanmar, was unexpectedly released on Saturday, February 21, in the first group of 6,313 prisoners the government has agreed to release, including 24 political prisoners. A school teacher and young mother, she was serving a life sentence after being arrested in 1999 because her husband had organized a demonstration in support of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The authorities could not find her husband, and so arrested Ma Khin Khin Leh and the couple’s three-year-old daughter, whom they held for five days in prison. Ma Khin Khin Leh was sentenced in December 1999 under vaguely worded security legislation. Her release is great news, and it offers encouragement for all of our members to continue campaigning on behalf of individuals at risk.
