"Min Aung Hlaing," Myanmar's president, announced a major amnesty for the Thingyan New Year festival, ordering that all death sentences be commuted to life imprisonment. Reports also indicate that "Aung San Suu Kyi" had her sentence reduced by one-sixth, alongside the release of over 4,300 prisoners, including former President Win Myint.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar's military government who assumed the presidency last week, issued a statement announcing a major amnesty for the "Thingyan" festival, Myanmar's New Year. A key measure was the commutation of all death sentences to life imprisonment.
This announcement follows the military government's resumption of executions after the 2021 coup, resulting in over 130 death sentences carried out, according to United Nations data. Most of those executed were political dissidents and opponents of the coup.
In addition to commuting death sentences, Myanmar authorities plan to release over 4,300 prisoners and 179 foreigners, and reduce sentences by one-sixth for inmates serving less than 40 years.
The Office of the Myanmar President stated that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing signed the amnesty order for Win Myint, the former president who has been detained since the coup on 1 Feb 2021 GMT+7.
Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer told Reuters that Myanmar authorities have reduced her sentence. The 80-year-old was sentenced to 27 years in prison on multiple charges that her allies say were politically motivated to exclude her from power, including incitement, corruption, election fraud, and violating state secrecy laws.
The lawyer said her prison term was cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be allowed to serve the remainder under house arrest.
Outside Insein Prison in Yangon, many relatives of detainees waited in hope for their family members' release, especially political prisoners. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reports over 30,000 political detainees since the coup.
Analysts and democracy observers say Min Aung Hlaing's move is part of efforts to "whitewash" the military government's image to appear more civilian-like after he was elected president by the military-appointed parliament last Friday.
However, Myanmar Strategic and Policy Institute noted that in previous amnesties, fewer than 14 percent of political prisoners were actually released. Meanwhile, 78-year-old former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned and isolated, serving a total 27-year sentence widely seen internationally as politically motivated.
Myanmar remains embroiled in prolonged civil conflict between the government military and armed democratic and ethnic forces, escalating since the military-led January elections in which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was dissolved and banned from contesting.