North Korea announces amnesty for prisoners

North Korea says it will grant an amnesty for prisoners to mark the birthdays of two late leaders, the BBC says.

KCNA said that the amnesty embodied the "noble, benevolent and all-embracing politics of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il".

The decree was to be announced on February 1, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported, the monstersandcritics.com informs.

No information was given as to how many prisoners would be released or who.

Amnesty International estimates as many as 200,000 people are being held in political prison camps around the country, the BBC reports.