The prison sentence of Aung San Suu Kyi has been shortened
Myanmar’s State Administration Council recently reduced the sentences of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former president U Win Myint. Suu Kyi’s jail sentence of 33 years was reduced by six years, while U Win Myint’s sentence was reduced by four years. This reduction in sentences came as part of a seasonal amnesty that also granted pardons to over 7,000 prisoners.
Both Suu Kyi and U Win Myint were arrested shortly after the military coup on February 1, 2021. This is the first time that periodic amnesties have included the ousted leader and the former president.
In addition to the sentence reductions and pardons, the council also commuted death sentences for some prisoners to life imprisonment. They remitted sentences for 7,749 domestic prisoners and 125 foreign inmates. Furthermore, the council dismissed the cases of 22 members of ethnic armed groups and 72 individuals connected to such groups.
Since the coup, Myanmar has been experiencing a civil war that has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties. Suu Kyi, who was initially under house arrest following the coup, was later moved to solitary confinement in a prison in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar. There have been limited updates about her condition, and rumors about her health were denied by the military.
Moreover, the military junta has recently postponed an election that was initially promised to be held by August this year.
