Myanmar Pardons Thousands of Prisoners to Mark Independence Day

Facts

• Myanmar's governing junta granted amnesty to thousands of prisoners on Thursday to mark the 76th anniversary of independence from Britain, with prisoner releases expected to take several days to complete.¹
• Approximately 9.7K local detainees and 114 foreign inmates are reportedly set to be freed in twelve rounds and sent by bus to districts in the Yangon region.²
• While details concerning identity haven't been revealed, Myanmar Pressphoto Agency photographer Kaung Sett Lin, who had been sentenced to three years in prison and hard labor in December 2022, has been seen in pictures hugging his family members after his apparent release. There has been no sign that senior political figures, such as Aung San Suu Kyi, were among those freed.³
• The mass pardon comes as the military junta allegedly prepares to hold elections, despite an unprecedented crisis in the north as ethnic armed groups and resistance forces have carried out a major offensive since October.⁴
• According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, nearly 26K people have been arrested for opposing the February 2021 military takeover, with almost 20K remaining in detention. The monitoring group further reports that security forces have killed more than 4K people.⁵
• On the country's 75th anniversary of Independence Day last year, the junta pardoned approximately 7K detainees. Additionally, a further batch of 7K prisoners were freed on Aug. 1, 2023, to celebrate a full moon Buddhist holiday.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Global New Light Of Myanmar, ³Independent, ⁴Myanmar Now, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶XINHUA.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Myanmar International TV. This is an act of benevolence toward thousands of prisoners on humanitarian grounds to mark the 76th Independence Day of Myanmar. With this move, the State Administration Council further stresses its willingness to promote public peace at home and friendly relations with other countries.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Irrawaddy. Make no mistake, this amnesty is merely a PR stunt to try to ease internal and international pressure. The vast majority of those freed are convicted drug criminals, not dissidents who have long been tortured. Out of the few political prisoners pardoned — none of which were high-profile figures — most had coincidentally nearly completed their terms.

Predictions