Myanmar’s military junta announces amnesty for 7,000 prisoners

However, the junta did not say whether people arrested or detained as a result of the junta’s crackdown on dissidents would be pardoned. A few days earlier, the prison sentence for de facto Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military coup in February 2021, had been extended to 33 years. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not respond to AFP’s inquiry about whether Suu Kyi would be transferred from prison to house arrest as part of the amnesty.

During the Independence Day military parade, tanks, rocket launchers and armored vehicles rolled onto a parade ground in the capital Naypyidaw at dawn on Wednesday, AFP journalists observed. State officials and students followed the troops, accompanied by a military band. According to state media, 750 “peace doves” were released to celebrate the day.

The then British colony of Myanmar declared its independence from the British crown on January 4, 1948. This was preceded by a long liberation struggle led by General Aung San, father of the deposed civilian leader Suu Kyi.

In a speech to the soldiers, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing accused unspecified foreign powers of “interfering in Myanmar’s internal affairs” since the February 2021 coup.

“Sincere greetings” from Putin

According to the state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent “sincere greetings” on Independence Day and added that he expects “further development” in relations between the two countries. Moscow is an important ally and arms supplier of the junta, which is largely isolated internationally. The military government had described the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, as “justified”.

The military government is currently preparing for new elections planned for later this year, which the USA has already described as “sham elections”. Observers expect that the junta could abolish the previous majority voting system in advance. In first-past-the-post elections, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won overwhelming majorities in 2015 and 2020.

Government was overthrown in 2021

The military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government in the Southeast Asian country in February 2021 and took power again. Since then, fighting between junta troops and anti-coup rebels has erupted in large parts of the country.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi has since been found guilty of all charges against her. On Friday, she was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison on the final count of her 18-month trial. The 77-year-old is now sentenced to a total of 33 years. The EU and the USA sharply criticized the verdict.