More than 4,500 people in Myanmar were pardoned or had sentences reduced in a presidential amnesty to mark the traditional new year, state media reported. MRTV said 4,335 were formally pardoned and nearly 180 foreign nationals will be deported. There was no clear sign that Aung San Suu Kyi or most political detainees would be freed, though her 27-year sentence would be reduced by 4½ years under the measure. Rights groups say the limited amnesty is unlikely to resolve the broader crisis stemming from the 2021 military takeover.
Myanmar Pardons Over 4,500 Prisoners in New Year Amnesty; Political Releases Remain Limited
Myanmar newly elected President Min Aung Hlaing speaks during a sworn-in ceremony at Union parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
BANGKOK (AP) — More than 4,500 inmates across Myanmar were granted pardons or had their prison terms shortened under a presidential clemency issued to mark the traditional new year, state media reported Friday.
State-run MRTV said 4,335 people were formally pardoned and nearly 180 foreign nationals would be released and deported. The full list of names was not immediately published, and relatives waited outside Yangon’s Insein Prison from early morning hopeful for news.
There was no indication that former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed. Authorities have not clarified whether the pardon will extend to the large number of political detainees jailed for opposing military rule. Under the announced formula, Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence would be reduced by four and a half years.
At his inauguration last week, Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing said the government would grant amnesties to "contribute to social reconciliation, justice and peace" and support national development.
Reports said the clemency commuted death sentences to life imprisonment, reduced life terms to 40 years and cut prison terms of less than 40 years by one-sixth. The terms also stipulate that any freed prisoner who reoffends must serve the remainder of their original sentence in addition to any new penalty.
This is a locator map for Myanmar with its capital, Naypyidaw. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Prisoner releases on holidays and significant national occasions are common in Myanmar. But human rights groups and observers say the latest amnesty is unlikely to address the wider political crisis that followed the military takeover in 2021.
Context and Human Cost
Since the 2021 military takeover, rights monitors report nearly 8,000 civilian deaths and roughly 22,170 political detainees remain jailed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Observers believe the true death toll and humanitarian impact of the ongoing conflict are likely higher.
Many political prisoners have been charged under an "incitement" law commonly used to silence critics and punishable by up to three years in prison. Others face prosecution under a counterterrorism law that carries potential death-penalty provisions and has been used against political opponents, journalists and activists.
The mass civil resistance that met the 2021 takeover has since escalated into a broader conflict, and analysts say isolated amnesties are unlikely to resolve the deep political and security divisions currently gripping the country.
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