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Myanmar's military junta granted amnesty Monday to more than 7,000 prisoners convicted of financing, sheltering or propagandising for a "terrorist group", a designation it has used to outlaw pro-democracy factions opposing its rule.Thousands of dissenting civilians have been swept into jails since Myanmar's military snatched power in a 2021 coup, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy and detaining elected figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.Pro-democracy activists backing Suu Kyi and armed groups challenging the military in a civil war have been labelled "terrorist" outfits, and far-reaching laws punish association with life prison terms and possible death sentences.A government notice said junta chief Min Aung Hlaing ordered the releases of more than 7,300 prisoners convicted under counter-terrorism provisions.They include laws forbidding "financing of terrorism", harbouring "any terrorist group" and the "exhortation, persuasion, propaganda, recruitment" of any person to join such groups.Media monitors have criticised the junta for weaponising the legislation to muzzle journalists and social media users critical of their takeover.It was not immediately clear which groups the prisoners had been convicted of association with.In recent months, the junta has announced pardons for some political crimes in what analysts describe as a bid to soften its image amidst a handover to a nominally civilian government after elections concluded in January.But with Suu Kyi still jailed, her party dissolved and the dominant pro-military party securing a walkover win, critics have derided the transition as a publicity exercise to rebrand the junta's rule. Hundreds freed An AFP journalist outside Yangon's Insein Prison — Myanmar's most infamous lock-up, renowned for alleged rights abuses — saw around 300 prisoners being bussed out of the compound in a convoy Monday morning.A gaggle of emotional relatives clutched bouquets of flowers and placards bearing loved-ones' names as prisoners were released from Insein's barbed-wire boundary shortly before noon.Min Aung Hlaing granted their release to mark a public holiday Monday "in consideration of the peace of mind of the general public as well as on humanitarian grounds", the government statement said.Nearly 12,500 people facing trial on the same "terrorism" charges will have their cases dropped, according to a separate statement.The junta frequently grants prison amnesties on public holidays, and Monday's raft of notices also announced the release of more than 2,800 other prisoners and 10 jailed foreign nationals — without detailing their offences.After ruling by force for more than five years, the military has said its phased month-long election will return power to the people and offer a chance to end the civil war.But the poll did not take place in swaths of the country controlled by rebel groups and Min Aung Hlaing has not ruled out serving as president.The new parliament is due to sit in two weeks, with a president elected in early April. 

Amnesty International on Monday denounced "systematic human rights violations" in Tanzania by authorities, which are said to be intensifying ahead of presidential polls that exclude opposition candidates.Current President Samia Suluhu Hassan was initially praised for easing restrictions imposed by her authoritarian predecessor John Magufuli, but as she seeks re-election in October 29 polls, she faces sharp criticism from the opposition and NGOs.Between January 2024 and October 2025, Amnesty documented widespread abuses such as "enforced disappearance and torture... and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures and activists".Amnesty's report reviewed by AFP was based on interviews with 43 people, including witnesses, victims, relatives of victims, NGO members and lawyers, along with analysis of images and publications.In September 2024, a senior official with the main opposition party Chadema, Ali Mohamed Kibao, 69, was abducted and found dead.An investigation was launched into his violent murder, but no progress has been reported, Amnesty denounced.The country's former ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Hesron Polepole, who was also a government critic, disappeared this month.Authorities "have ramped up their clampdown on the civic space and the right to participate freely in elections through the passing of deeply flawed legislation", Amnesty's regional director for east and southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said in a statement.The Chadema party has been excluded from the elections for refusing to sign the Electoral Code of Conduct.Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, arrested in April, has been on trial for treason, a charge punishable by the death penalty.Luhaga Mpina, candidate for the third-largest party, the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo) was barred from standing.