Myanmar junta to free 9,652 prisoners on humanitarian grounds - state media

FILE PHOTO: Protesters hold up a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi and raise three-finger salutes, during a demonstration to mark the second anniversary of Myanmar's 2021 military coup, outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok, Thailand, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

(Reuters) - Myanmar's military government will release 9,652 prisoners, including 114 foreigners, under an amnesty to mark the country's independence day, state media reported on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil since the military seized power in February 2021, reversing a decade-long democratic experiment, and used deadly force to crush protests.