Myanmar’s new President Min Aung Hlaing on Friday approved the release of 4,335 prisoners from the country’s jails, including reportedly about 179 foreign nationals.
Such mass amnesty schemes are run on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day in January and New Year in April.
What do we know about the latest release order?
Hundreds of people gathered in front of Myanmar’s notorious Insein prison in Yangon on Friday in hopes of welcoming freed loved ones.
There has been no word on whether former Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will be among those released. The 80-year-old woman is being held at an undisclosed location as she serves a 27-year prison sentence for politically motivated charges.
His lawyer told Reuters news agency that on Friday his sentence was reduced by one-sixth. It is unclear whether he will be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Surprisingly, former President Win Myint – who was arrested along with Aung San Suu Kyi after Myanmar’s February 1, 2021 military coup – is among those released.
President Hlaing promises stability and reconciliation as civil war continues
The release of the prisoners was approved by Myanmar’s new President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a 2021 military coup that toppled the country’s leadership and plunged the country into civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Hlaing was formally elected president by Myanmar’s parliament on April 3 this year, cementing his grip on power.
The formalization followed a controversial junta-organized parliamentary election in which Myanmar’s military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was elected virtually unopposed.
Speaking at his inauguration ceremony, Hlaing vowed that stability and cohesion would be his top priority.
Rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) claims more than 30,000 people have been jailed on political charges since Hlaing came to power in 2021.
Edited by: Rana Taha