To mark Myanmar's traditional new year, the military junta has granted amnesty to nearly 4,900 prisoners, with 22 political prisoners among those released. The senior general's decision is part of a customary practice during the holiday, although the country is facing severe political unrest following the military's ousting of the elected government in February 2021. Human rights organizations report that there are still over 22,000 political detainees, highlighting ongoing repression and the use of vague charges to silence dissent.
Some 22,197 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, were in detention as of last Friday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent organisation that keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation's political conflicts.
Many political detainees had been held on a charge of incitement, a catch-all offence widely used to arrest critics of the government or military and punishable by up to three years in prison.
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