Under the deal, the five Americans with dual nationality are expected to leave Tehran and head to Qatar's capital Doha and then from there fly to the US.

The military-led government has jailed thousands of opponents and pro-democracy activists since it seized power in 2021 and brutally put down protests, drawing global condemnation.

Myanmar has faced international isolation and Western-led sanctions since the military seized power from a democratically elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi nearly two years ago.

They were among 176 corpses found by police during an investigation into the death of an inmate, who was accused of being involved in the killing of a journalist in early October.

Japan is one of the few economically developed countries to still have the death penalty, and hanging has been its sole execution method for around a century and a half.

The Prison Department says no statements can be issued by prison inmates.

The move is unexpected, since Russian-backed separatists last month said there would be a trial of Azov personnel, who Moscow describes as Nazis.

MalaysiaNow gets an exclusive look at the life of prisoners serving their sentences at the famous Kajang Prison.

Pre-pandemic, convicts could volunteer to clear the sewers of Thailand's capital – which sits only 1.5 metres above sea level and is perennially beset by flooding – earning time off their sentences.

The decision represents a major reversal for the department's Office of Legal Counsel, which previously said the Bureau of Prisons had no legal authority to keep inmates at home once the pandemic emergency had subsided.

Capital punishment in Japan is conducted by hanging, and the practice of not informing inmates of the timing until shortly before execution has been decried by international organisations for the stress it places on prisoners.

A massive manhunt for the group includes members from the police, army and agents from Israel's powerful internal security agency the Shin Bet.