Myanmar’s ex-president Win Myint is freed from detention and Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence is cut in a mass amnesty, but UN officials demand their unconditional release.
YANGON: Myanmar’s former president Win Myint has been freed from detention under a mass amnesty ordered by the military leadership.
A source close to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi also confirmed her lengthy prison sentence has been reduced.
Win Myint was pardoned of convictions handed down after the 2021 military coup and released. A spokesman for his dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD) party confirmed the former president was now “in good health” at his daughter’s house.
The amnesty also applies to Suu Kyi, who remains detained. A source close to her legal case said her 27-year sentence was cut as part of the order, which reduces all sentences under 40 years by one-sixth.
It remains unclear how much of Suu Kyi’s term was considered served before the commutation. The 80-year-old Nobel laureate and Win Myint led Myanmar’s civilian government until the military seized power five years ago.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need for “meaningful efforts” to ensure the swift release of all those arbitrarily detained. His spokesman called for an environment allowing the people of Myanmar to “freely and peacefully exercise their political rights”.
UN rights chief Volker Turk demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of all unjustly detained since the coup, including Suu Kyi. The military government has faced widespread international condemnation since overthrowing the elected administration.
The amnesty marks a significant climb-down by coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who was installed as civilian leader last week. Critics describe the transition and recent policy rollbacks as a cosmetic rebranding of military rule.
Min Aung Hlaing also commuted all death sentences and ordered the release of more than 4,300 prisoners to mark Myanmar’s new year. Among those freed was award-winning filmmaker Shin Daewe, who was serving a 15-year sentence.
“Even though I was fortunate, my unlucky friends were left behind in tears,” said the documentarian upon her release from Yangon’s Insein prison. Other families waited outside the prison hoping their relatives would be among those freed.
More than 30,000 people have been detained for political reasons since the coup, according to a monitoring group. The military takeover triggered an ongoing civil war, with pro-democracy forces and ethnic armies fighting the junta.
