The military junta in power in Myanmar (formerly Burma) announced this Saturday an amnesty for 5,864 prisoners, an annual measure on the occasion of Independence Day.
Nearly 180 foreigners are included in the list, declared the military junta in a statement, although it did not disclose the reasons for detention nor the nationalities of the foreigners in question, who, once released, will be deported. The army said it took the decision “for humanitarian reasons and out of compassion”, having also announced the commutation of the sentence of 144 people sentenced to life imprisonment to 15 years in prison.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power in 2021, leading to peaceful protests across the country that the military junta suppressed using violence, triggering widespread armed resistance that some UN officials have characterized as civil war.
The junta regularly grants amnesties to thousands of prisoners during Buddhist celebrations or festivities. In 2024, on the occasion of Independence Day, more than 9,000 prisoners were released.
Myanmar marks this Saturday the day it became independent from the United Kingdom, on January 4, 1948. This Saturday morning, the annual ceremony organized in the capital Naypyidaw took place under strong protection and with the presence of around 500 members of the authorities and military.
Deputy army chief Soe Win spoke on behalf of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was not present. Soe Win called on the dozens of armed ethnic groups to lay down their weapons and “resolve the political situation through peaceful means.”
He also reiterated the army’s commitment to organizing democratic elections and called for national unity.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
