Myanmar’s military-led government has recently granted clemency to Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted leader, reducing her prison sentences. This act of clemency is tied to a religious holiday in the predominantly Buddhist country. Along with Suu Kyi, former President Win Myint also had his sentence reduced, and this clemency extends to over 7,000 prisoners. However, despite the reduction, Suu Kyi still has to serve 27 years out of her original 33-year sentence.
The head of Myanmar’s military council, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, issued the clemency order, specifically targeting five cases against Suu Kyi. These cases include her convictions for violating coronavirus restrictions, illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, and sedition. Suu Kyi’s supporters and rights groups believe that these 19 offenses were fabricated to discredit her and legitimize the 2021 army takeover while preventing her return to politics.
It is worth mentioning that this clemency announcement comes just a day after Myanmar’s military extended the state of emergency initially imposed when they seized power from Suu Kyi’s elected government two and a half years ago. This extension further delays the promised elections. Several of Suu Kyi’s cases are currently awaiting final appeals.
In addition to Suu Kyi’s reduced sentences, Min Aung Hlaing also granted amnesty to 125 foreign prisoners and 22 members of ethnic armed groups. The cases against 72 individuals connected to ethnic armed groups were dropped as well. However, it remains unclear whether any of the released prisoners include the thousands of political detainees who have been imprisoned for opposing army rule.
Since the military takeover, Myanmar has witnessed significant turmoil. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports that approximately 24,123 people have been arrested in Myanmar, with at least 3,857 civilians killed by security forces during this period.
The United Nations has called on Myanmar to return to democratic rule, and this clemency comes three weeks after Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai visited Suu Kyi in prison. He became the first foreign visitor to be granted access to her since her detention. Don spoke of her good health and her willingness to engage in talks to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi, however, has been unable to share her version of the meeting with Don, which is said to have lasted around one and a half hours. The Myanmar military confirmed the meeting but stated that it had no details as it was a one-on-one conversation between Suu Kyi and the Thai diplomat. Don revealed this event while attending a meeting in Jakarta, where the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been attempting to mediate an end to the violent conflict in Myanmar.
In conclusion, Myanmar’s military-led government has granted clemency to Aung San Suu Kyi, reducing her prison sentences along with those of other prisoners. However, the reduction does not eliminate the majority of Suu Kyi’s sentence, and many believe that the charges against her were politically motivated. The situation in Myanmar remains complex and turbulent, with calls for a return to democratic rule from international bodies like the United Nations.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
