Five political prisoners ‘in a safe place’ after daring escape 

Five young activists who managed to escape from a prison in Magway Region’s Pakokku Township on Saturday have reached a safe area, according to local resistance sources.

The five youths, who included two People’s Defence Force (PDF) members, fled to the town of Pakokku after breaking out of the prison, said a spokesperson for the Pakokku PDF.

“They got out of prison on their own, but the local defence force contacted them when they reached Pakokku and then sent them to a safe place,” the spokesperson said.

A prison source told Myanmar Now that the five prisoners escaped by cutting through the bars of their cells and using blankets and longyis as a rope to scale the high prison wall.

The escaped prisoners were identified as Saw Tun Lin, Kaung Nyunt Lu, Kyaw Ye Lwin, Myo Lin Aung, and Wai Phyo Thu. Two had recently completed military training in Karen (Kayin) State, the source said.

The exact charges that had been laid against each prisoner could not be confirmed at the time of reporting, but at least some of them had been charged with violating Myanmar’s Anti-Terrorism Law, the source added.

According to the Pakokku PDF spokesperson, the five youths had suffered only minor injuries during their escape.

“They were injured as they had to get through electrified fences and jump from high places,” he said.

He added that junta soldiers arrived at Pakokku Prison soon after the escape and took five prisoners and several prison officers away in four vehicles.

Myanmar Now was unable to independently confirm this information.

Saturday’s jailbreak marked the first time since last year’s coup that prisoners had succeeded in liberating themselves from junta custody.

However, in June, resistance forces overran a police station in southern Myawaddy Township in Karen State, rescuing PDF fighters who had been detained there for more than 100 days.

There have also been reports in Sagaing Region of PDF groups freeing civilians held hostage by regime forces.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, there are currently more than 12,000 people detained for opposing the coup still being being held in Myanmar’s prisons.