Myanmar military pardons more than 3,000 prisoners for New Year

The military has not specified whether those jailed for resisting the coup in February 2021 will be released.

Myanmar’s military has announced plans to release 3,113 prisoners, including 98 foreigners, to celebrate the country’s traditional New Year.

The army’s statement on Monday did not specify whether those imprisoned for resisting the February 2021 coup would be released.

The army has jailed thousands of opponents and pro-democracy activists since seizing power and brutally cracked down on protests, including killing about 3,240 civilians, activists said.

Lieutenant General Aung Lin Dwe, a spokesman for the army, said the amnesty is a “celebration of Myanmar’s New Year to bring joy to the people and address humanitarian concerns”.

Those who reoffend would have to serve the remainder of their sentence with an additional sentence, he said.

There were no additional details.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an activist group, said at least 17,460 people arrested for resisting the coup are still detained.

Among them is overthrown leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and figurehead of the opposition to military rule, who is serving 33 years in prison after a marathon of trials internationally condemned as shams.

The army has also jailed other senior members of its civilian government whom the army overthrew in the 2021 coup.

The military periodically grants amnesty to prisoners, but the numbers this year and in 2022 were a fraction of the 23,000 released during the same Buddhist holiday in 2021.

Human rights organizations and many world leaders have repeatedly called on the military to release all political prisoners.