Burundi began releasing its political prisoners under presidential pardon on Monday. Authorities have released the first group of 300 prisoners from the Mpinda Central Prison in Bujumbura with an aim to set free some 2,500 from the populated jails.
The move to pardon 2,500 prisoners has drawn criticism from the rights group who claim that the government is just making room for more political prisoners.
The presidential pardon targets inmates whose jail sentences were less than five years or who have already spent three fourths of their jail terms or have behaved well behind bars.
