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

朝鲜政府宣布将特赦犯人以纪念两位已故领导的诞辰。

Kim Jong-un took over from his father, Kim Jong-il, after his death on 17 December
State news agency KCNA said that the amnesty would begin from 1 February, in honour of Kim Jong-il, who died last month, and his father Kim Il-sung.

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.

KCNA said that the amnesty embodied¹ the "noble, benevolent²（仁慈的） and all-embracing politics of President Kim Il-sung and leader Kim Jong-il".

This year is being presented as the 70th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's birth and the centenary of his father.

Mr Kim died on 17 December of a heart attack. He had ruled North Korea - an impoverished³（穷困的） nuclear-armed state with a dire⁴（可怕的） human rights record - since the death of his father in 1994.

He is succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un, who is in his late 20s and has little political experience.

Last year rights group Amnesty International said that it believed prison camps inside North Korea were expanding.

Its findings were based on satellite imagery which showed that the size of the camps had grown considerably⁵（相当地） .

The group cited testimony⁶ from former prisoners describing a regime of torture, hunger and forced labour inside the camps.