The Myanmar military junta has reduced the sentence of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi by 6 years. As a result, the sentence was reduced from 33 years to 27 years.
According to foreign media including AFP on the 1st, the Myanmar military government pardoned more than 7,000 prisoners on the occasion of the Buddhist holiday, including State Counsellor Suu Kyi. The military government stated, "Suu Kyi was pardoned for 5 out of the 19 cases in which she was convicted, resulting in a 6-year sentence reduction."
Previously, the Myanmar military defined the November 2020 general election, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Suu Kyi won a landslide victory, as a fraudulent election and staged a coup. Since then, Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 33 years on charges including corruption and has been serving her sentence in solitary confinement in prison.
Besides this pardon, there is also a Supreme Court retrial procedure pending for some charges. However, considering Suu Kyi’s age of 78 this year, it is assessed that even if the sentence is partially reduced, it will not make a significant difference.
Among those pardoned this time was President Win Myint, who was also ousted and imprisoned due to the coup, and his sentence was reduced by 4 years. Additionally, 125 foreigners were released, and some death row inmates had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar military government declared a state of emergency simultaneously with the coup. According to the Myanmar constitution, the state of emergency lasts up to 2 years, and elections must be held within 6 months after the state of emergency ends. However, the military government extended the state of emergency, which was set to expire on this day, by another 6 months. With this extension, the state of emergency has been maintained for the third year, and the holding of general elections remains uncertain.
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