ANKARA
Australia welcomed reports on Thursday that Myanmar authorities are releasing Australian economist Professor Sean Turnell, who served as an adviser to deposed State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, after nearly two years in prison.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the news, but stated on Twitter, “Professor Turnell continues to be our first priority. As such, we will not be commenting further at this stage.”
Her statement came after media reported that the country’s military junta has decided to release over 5,700 prisoners, including Turnell, former British Ambassador Vicky Bowman and her husband Ko Htein Lin, and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota.
The amnesty, announced to commemorate Myanmar’s National Day on Thursday, will result in the release of 5,744 prisoners. Among them are those detained under Section 505a of the Penal Code for incitement in the aftermath of last year’s coup, according to local news service provider Myanmar Now.
Turnell was an economic adviser to deposed Maynmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi when the military took power in a coup in late February last year and detained him.
In September, a Myanmar military junta court sentenced the Australian economist to three years in prison on charges of violating the official secret act.
Suu Kyi and other senior political leaders from her party were not included in the amnesty set to be announced on the country’s National Day, according to the news outlet.
Suu Kyi’s government was deposed in a military coup on Feb. 24, 2021, after her National League for Democracy party’s victory in national elections in November 2020.
The coup was met with widespread civic unrest as people denounced her removal and military rule. The junta repressed protests violently, despite UN warnings that the country had descended into civil war.
The junta forces have since killed more than 1,500 people in a crackdown on dissent, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group.
