Despite a large-scale prisoner amnesty in Myanmar, the vast majority of political prisoners remain behind bars, with activists decrying the move as a superficial attempt to appease international pressure while key opposition figures and thousands of others unjustly detained are ignored.
BY PC Bureau
The recent release of nearly 4,900 prisoners in Myanmar, as reported by the state-run MRTV, was presented as a gesture of goodwill for the Buddhist New Year. These include 13 foreigners. However, this move has been a profound disappointment for the vast majority of political prisoners suffering under the junta’s rule. The Myanmar Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPNM) initially identified a mere 22 political detainees among those freed, a figure they later adjusted to just over 100. This meager number starkly contrasts with the scale of political imprisonment in the country.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), as of April 11, 2025, a staggering 22,197 individuals remained behind bars for political reasons. This constitutes a significant portion of the 29,030 total arrests made since the February 1, 2021 coup, and includes prominent figures like former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held incommunicado since the military takeover.
It is crucial to view reports from MRTV with skepticism. As the Myanmar Radio and Television, a state-controlled media outlet operating under the Ministry of Information, it has historically acted as a mouthpiece for the government, particularly under military regimes. Since the February 2021 coup, MRTV has been instrumental in disseminating junta propaganda, broadcasting announcements and news aligned with the military’s narrative, and suppressing dissenting voices. Its heavily censored programming has been widely criticized for spreading misinformation and stifling independent reporting.
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While the release of nearly 5,000 individuals might create an illusion of broad reconciliation, independent watchdogs offer a far more sobering assessment of the situation for political prisoners. The PPNM’s report of just over 100 political detainees being freed underscores the extremely limited scope of this amnesty for those imprisoned for their opposition to the regime. This figure, even with the slight upward revision from the initial count of 22, highlights the deeply selective nature of the releases and their failure to address the widespread detention of pro-democracy activists and others who challenge military rule.
Conspicuously absent from the list of those granted amnesty were any key figures from Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted government. Activists like Thaik Htun Oo of the PPNM interpret this omission as a clear indication of the junta’s primary objective: a superficial attempt to appease the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) while ensuring their political adversaries remain incarcerated. This sentiment is echoed by a Yangon-based lawyer, who suggested that many of the released prisoners were nearing the completion of their sentences regardless of the amnesty.
The discriminatory na
The Myanmar junta granted amnesty to 4,893 prisoners on Thursday to mark the country’s traditional new year, junta media reported, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many were political detainees. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/HoWwZZ9bgZ
— The Irrawaddy (Eng) (@IrrawaddyNews) April 17, 2025
ture of the amnesty is further underscored by the junta’s announcement of sentence reductions for some prisoners, which explicitly excluded those convicted under laws frequently employed to target political opponents and anti-junta fighters. These include charges related to terrorism, unlawful association, and offenses involving explosives and firearms. A political analyst, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, pointed out that these exclusions disproportionately impact the pro-democracy movement, ethnic armed groups, and former officials of the National League for Democracy (NLD), effectively guaranteeing the continued detention of the regime’s most vocal critics.
Disturbing accounts have also emerged regarding the well-being of released political prisoners. Several former NLD politicians have reportedly died shortly after their release, with their families alleging that they were denied essential healthcare while imprisoned. Furthermore, despite the junta’s regular practice of granting amnesties on public holidays, there is a concerning pattern of released political prisoners being re-arrested within days.
The international community has consistently condemned the junta for the mass arrests of citizens who participated in protests against the 2021 coup, criticized the regime online, or were charged with other offenses widely considered to be fabricated through sham trials. The detention of hundreds of members of the ousted civilian NLD administration further illustrates this extensive crackdown. The AAPP’s data confirms that over 22,100 individuals have been charged by the junta between 2021 and April 11, 2025, with more than 10,700 already having been sentenced.
Almost 5,000 prisoners in Myanmar have been pardoned in honour of the country celebrating its traditional new year.
Mass amnesties on holidays are common in the southeast Asian nation. pic.twitter.com/fkUMqtk6lE
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 17, 2025
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Even those political prisoners who were among the few released endured significant suffering. Film director Dwe Myittar (also known as Steel) and news producer Hanthar Nyein of Kamayut Media, for instance, faced harsh treatment during their detention. Hanthar Nyein, arrested in March 2021 and sentenced to seven years under the incitement and Electronics Transactions Laws (legislation widely criticized for suppressing free speech), recounted being blindfolded, beaten, and deprived of basic necessities during interrogation. The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law reports that over 220 journalists have been detained since the coup, with at least 51 still imprisoned as of February this year.
While Min Aung Hlaing’s new year’s address, as reported by MRTV, focused on post-earthquake reconstruction efforts and plans for a general election by the end of the year, urging opposition groups towards political solutions, the stark reality on the ground, evidenced by the minimal release of political prisoners and ongoing conflict, paints a drastically different picture. The amnesty, therefore, appears to be a calculated maneuver designed to offer a superficial appearance of progress while providing negligible relief to the vast majority of political prisoners and failing to address the deeply entrenched political crisis in Myanmar.
