Summary: Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing granted amnesty to 10,162 prisoners on Peasants’ Day and shortened other sentences, state media reported. The pardons include 7,337 people convicted under a counterterrorism law, and authorities said 12,487 more who were facing prosecution or in hiding will have incitement cases closed. Ten foreign nationals will be deported. There is no sign that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be freed; independent monitors say more than 22,800 political detainees remain in custody.
Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 10,000 Prisoners Ahead of Parliament's First Session in Five Years
This is a locator map for Myanmar with its capital, Naypyidaw. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bangkok — Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar’s military government, announced a broad amnesty on Peasants’ Day, pardoning 10,162 prisoners and shortening the sentences of others, state-run media reported.
The measure, issued roughly two weeks before parliament is scheduled to meet for its first session in more than five years, did not indicate any move to free former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was removed from power in the 2021 coup and has been held largely incommunicado since then.
State-run MRTV said the pardon included 7,337 people convicted under a counterterrorism law. In a separate notice, the government said 12,487 people who are either facing prosecution under that law or are in hiding will receive amnesty and have incitement charges closed.
The counterterrorism statute carries a potential death penalty and has been widely used since the 2021 takeover to detain political opponents, journalists and others accused of dissent.
The government also announced that ten foreign nationals will be released and deported. Authorities said the mass releases began on Monday but may take several days to complete, and they did not immediately release the names of those freed.
Mass pardons tied to national holidays are a familiar practice in Myanmar. Independent monitor the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which keeps detailed counts of arrests and deaths linked to political violence, reported that more than 22,800 political detainees remained in custody as of last Friday. That total includes 80-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi, who is serving a 27-year prison term after convictions her supporters describe as politically motivated.
Context
Observers note the timing of the amnesty — just before a contested parliament convenes after an election criticized by critics as neither free nor fair — and warn that releasing large numbers of low-level detainees does not address broader human rights concerns or the continued detention of prominent political figures.
Help us improve.
