Myanmar Releases Nearly 5,000 Prisoners in New Year Amnesty

Myanmar’s military government announced the release of approximately 4,900 prisoners to commemorate the nation’s traditional New Year. The amnesty, ordered by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, leader of the military council, included 4,893 inmates, though it remains uncertain how many were political prisoners detained for opposing military rule.

In a separate statement, reported that 13 foreign nationals would also be freed and deported. Other prisoners, excluding those convicted of serious crimes such as murder or rape, or charged under specific security laws, received reduced sentences. Released prisoners who reoffend will face the remainder of their original sentences alongside any new penalties, per the amnesty conditions.

Such large-scale prisoner releases are common during Myanmar’s New Year holiday, with the pardons implemented across prisons nationwide. On Thursday, dozens of relatives and friends gathered outside Insein Prison, located on Yangon’s northern outskirts, awaiting news of releases. Specific figures for Insein’s freed prisoners were not disclosed.

Myanmar has been under military control since February 1, 2021, when the army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread nonviolent protests that have since escalated into armed conflict. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that, as of last Friday, 22,197 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, remained in custody. Many face charges of incitement, a broadly applied offense used to silence critics, carrying up to three years in prison.

This year’s Thingyan New Year festivities were subdued, overshadowed by national mourning for a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck central Myanmar on March 28, claiming about 3,725 lives and destroying buildings, from modern condominiums to historic pagodas. In a televised New Year address, Min Aung Hlaing pledged swift reconstruction efforts for the quake-affected regions, reiterated plans for a general election by year’s end, and urged opposition groups to seek political resolutions to ongoing conflicts.

Despite the holiday, clashes between the military and pro-democracy forces persisted in rural areas, though casualty figures were not immediately available.