The Burmese government has freed more than 180 political prisoners as part of a general amnesty.
Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the amnesty.
A popular comedian and dissident, Zarganar, was among the first to be freed. Some monks and journalists were also released.
The country's continued detention of about 2,000 political prisoners is a crucial reason why Western nations maintain sanctions on Burma, officially known as Myanmar.
It was not clear how many of the political detainees were included in the amnesty - one estimate said only 155 of them were freed.
The detainees include journalists, pro-democracy activists, government critics, monks involved in anti-government protests and members of Burma's ethnic groups fighting for greater autonomy.
