Myanmar junta says 1,600 prisoners to be freed in holiday amnesty

People wait at Insein prison in hopes of the release of their families members who were arrested due to the anti coup protests, in Yangon, Myanmar April 17, 2022. Assistance Association for Myanmar -Based Independent Journalists/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Relatives of hundreds of prisoners gathered outside Myanmar's Insein Prison on Sunday after the military government announced the release of 1,600 prisoners in an amnesty to mark the Southeast Asian nation's new year.

The number of prisoners released in the annual amnesty was a fraction of last year's 23,000. It was unclear whether it would include jailed members of the civilian government overthrown in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup.