Myanmar military officials announced that they have released nationalist Buddhist monk, Wirathu, from custody. The monk, dubbed by Times magazine as "The Face of Buddhist Terror," is notorious for his anti-Muslim and religious hatred campaigns.
Wirathu was released after all of the charges against him brought by Aung San Suu Kyi's deposed government were dropped by the Junta. Military officials said Wirathu is now receiving treatment at a military hospital. They did not provide any further details about his condition.
A report from the independent media group, Myanmar Now, said that Wirathu was likely released because of increasing pressures from nationalist supporters and because of his deteriorating health. The report claimed that Wirathu had contracted COVID-19 and was "not in good health."
Wirathu was first arrested by the Myanmar government in 2003 after having been involved in the anti-Muslim 969 group. Two years after he was released in 2010, Wirathu had risen to prominence for his involvement in violent clashes between Buddhists and ethnic minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
Breaking: Myanmar junta released famous anti-Muslims, Anti-#Rohingya Buddhist Monk #Wirathu this evening. He was charged with penal code section 124 for insulting Daw Aung San Su Kyi during his speech in 2019. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Sep6Coup pic.twitter.com/cSTUN6OISW — Wai Wai Nu (@waiwainu) September 6, 2021
Wirathu later founded a nationalist organization that was aimed at inciting violence against Muslims in the region. His organization also successfully pushed for legislation that made it difficult for people of different religions to get married in the country.
Throughout his campaign of hate, Wirathu had amassed a large following, centered mostly on prejudice against Rohingya Muslims. Wirathu portrayed the Rohingya Muslims as migrants from Bangladesh, even though most of those in Myanmar have been living in the country for generations.
Buddhists in the country have criticized Wirathu for his hard-line stance against Muslims. In 2018, Facebook shut down his account over hate speech violations.
Wirathu's hate for Muslims was only rivaled his hate of Aung San Suu Kyi's government, which he accused of corruption and of failing its people. Wirathu was jailed last year over charges of "exciting disaffection" and "hatred or contempt" towards the government.
Wirathu was believed to have had close links with Myanmar's military. However, an earlier interview he made while he was in prison showed him complaining bitterly about how he was being treated by the new military government.
