Equity Celebrates Release Of Zarganar

A political prisoner of 35 years and who was awarded honorary life membership of the union, Equity, has now been released in Burma.
On hearing that Zarganar was freed, Equity General Secretary Christine Pane commented: "This is a great day. Our members have been fighting for Zarganar's freedom for years, however it is still very early in the broader campaign for artistic freedom in Burma".
In the latest stage of the International Committee for Artists Freedom (a body within Equity), Zarganar was awarded honorary life membership in May 2011 as part of a campaign to highlight his case.
The campaign included a video viral featuring UK comedian Andy Parsons (Answers on a Postcard) and a mass worldwide postcard campaign coordinated from London, following the successful award of the inaugural Freedom to Create Prize to Zarganar.
Zarganar has been serving a 35-year prison sentence after criticising the Burmese government’s handling of Cyclone Nargis in 2008. The cyclone devastated the country - more than 140,000 people died and millions were made homeless. The Burmese government denied the extent of the destruction, and the military rulers refused offers of foreign aid, further increasing the death toll and suffering of the Burmese people. Zarganar organised relief for many villages which had received no official help. He was convicted of 'public order offences'.
Forty-six Burmese political prisoners were included in a batch of more than 400 prisoners released from Obo Prison in Mandalay on Wednesday.
According to the Associated Press Zarganar said on his release: "I am not happy at all, as none of my 14 so-called political prisoner friends from Myitkyina Prison are among those freed. I will be happy, and I will thank the government only when all of my friends are freed.”
On Tuesday, Burmese state-run TV announced a presidential amnesty, saying 6,359 prisoners would be released starting on Wednesday under an amnesty granted by President Thein Sein. An earlier amnesty of prisoners was granted in May. Those released include the aged, the sick and the handicapped. It is not known how many political prisoners will be included in the release, but observers say the number could be as high as 300.
(BMcN/BMcC)