Aung San Suu Kyi has had her jail term reduced following the granting of some pardons.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the former leader of Myanmar, has been granted pardons for five out of the 19 charges brought against her by the military. As part of a seasonal amnesty, this move will reduce her original 33-year jail sentence by six years. Likewise, former president Win Myint, who was also ousted alongside Ms. Suu Kyi, received a reduced jail sentence as two of his charges were pardoned.
Periodic amnesties have been declared in the past, but it’s noteworthy that this is the first time they have included both Aung San Suu Kyi and Mr. Win Myint. The military junta seems to be making concessions to revive stalled diplomacy efforts.
Recently, Ms. Suu Kyi was transferred from prison to house arrest in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital. The 78-year-old Nobel laureate has been under military detention since the coup in February 2021 that ousted her. The coup triggered a civil war and resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, with the military junta being accused of using excessive violence against those opposing its rule.
Some countries, particularly China and Thailand, have initiated dialogues with the junta. However, these efforts have faced criticism for not including Ms. Suu Kyi’s party, which had won a significant majority in the 2020 elections.
The extent of the win led the military to allege election fraud – which they then used as a justification for the coup.
Any negotiations of a compromise with the international community would almost certainly require the involvement of Ms. Suu Kyi. She has, however, been kept isolated since her arrest after the coup. Almost no news had emerged about her condition for more than two years.
Ms. Suu Kyi is appealing the convictions for the other offenses, which range from election fraud to corruption,
All the charges – which she has denied – were brought against her in closed-door, military-run trials. Rights groups have condemned the court trials as a sham.
The military junta on Monday postponed an election promised to be held by August this year following its coup two years ago.
