Hkalam Samson, former president and general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myanmar, has been released from Myitkyina Prison in Burma’s Kachin State.
Sources related to the Baptist World Alliance and 21Wilberforce confirmed Samson’s release, one year after receiving a six-year prison sentence.
Ah Le Lakang, general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Churches USA, said Samson was released at 1 p.m. on April 17 as part of an amnesty in celebration of Myanmar’s New Year.
Samson was “warmly welcomed” by convention staff and church members “in the hall of the Kachin Baptist Convention,” he added.
He quoted Samson’s attorney, Dau Nan: “He was freed from Myitkyina Prison today to mark Myanmar’s New Year. He is at home now.”
Ah Le Lakang thanked Samson’s attorney, religious leaders and the international community “for their tireless support and effort” in securing Samson’s release.
Samson, chairman of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly and critic of human rights abuses by the ruling Burmese military, was sentenced last year on charges of unlawful association, defaming the state and terrorism.
At the time, BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown called Samson’s sentence “a grave injustice” and called on churches to pray for an end to his “unjust imprisonment.”
Samson had been arrested on Dec. 5, 2022, at the Mandalay International Airport. At the time he was attempting to travel to Bangkok, reportedly for a medical procedure.
Samson was president of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Myanmar from 2018 to 2022, and he previously served two terms as the convention’s general secretary, from 2010 to 2018.
In April 2021, two months after the military coup in Myanmar, Samson joined in issuing a call for global prayer and advocacy on behalf of the nation.
Roy Medley, general secretary emeritus of the American Baptist Church USA and executive director of the Burma Advocacy Group, expressed thanksgiving for Samson’s release.
“The hearts of all who are part of the Burma Advocacy Group rejoiced at the news of Dr. Samson’s release from prison. Collectively, we have prayed and worked for this day. To God be the glory,” Medley said.
“This fiercely courageous spokesperson for religious liberty and freedom chose to suffer with and for the people of Burma when he turned down the offers of asylum that were presented to him when he was last in the U.S. to testify about religious persecution in Burma by the junta.
“Even while he was in prison, he continued to minister to others and through his example and preaching many embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, the Burma Advocacy Group pledges to continue our prayers and work until all of Burma is released from the shackles of tyranny.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated about an hour after it initially was posted to include the statement from Roy Medley and the Burma Advocacy Group. On April 18, The Irrawaddy online news outlet, founded by Myanmar exiles in Thailand, reported Samson was taken back into custody, along with his wife, in the predawn hours after his release. The Baptist Standard will continue to monitor the situation and report new developments when they are confirmed.
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