Myanmar Junta Grants Amnesty To Over 6,000 Prisoners On Independence Day
Myanmar’s military junta has announced an amnesty for more than 6,000 prisoners, marking the country’s 78th Independence Day amid ongoing civil conflict and political repression.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pardoned 6,134 Myanmar nationals, while 52 foreign prisoners will be released and deported, according to statements from the National Defence and Security Council. Other inmates received sentence reductions, excluding those convicted of serious crimes or security-related offences. Authorities warned that anyone reoffending would be required to serve the remainder of their original sentence in addition to any new punishment.
The annual amnesty, described as being on “humanitarian and compassionate grounds”, comes as the military continues to detain thousands arrested since the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government and plunged the country into war.
Crowds gathered outside Yangon’s Insein prison on Jan 4, with families waiting anxiously for loved ones to be freed.
However, there was no indication that the release includes former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains jailed and largely cut off from the public.
The amnesty comes against the backdrop of a phased election launched by the junta last week, widely criticised by rights groups and Western governments as a bid to legitimise continued military rule.
