Myanmar Junta grants Amnesty to over 10,000 prisoners ahead of parliament session

Myanmar’s military government has announced a mass prisoner amnesty to mark Peasants’ Day , a national holiday honouring farmers, but there is no indication that jailed former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be among those freed.

State-run broadcaster MRTV reported on Monday that junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pardoned 10,162 prisoners , including more than 7,300 people convicted under the country’s counterterrorism law . In a separate announcement, authorities said 12,487 individuals who were facing prosecution or had gone into hiding under the same law would receive amnesty and have their incitement charges dropped. Ten foreign nationals will also be released and deported.

Officials said the move was intended to mark the holiday and promote what they described as “national reconciliation.” The amnesty also comes two weeks before parliament is scheduled to convene for the first time in over five years , following elections last month that opposition groups and international critics said were neither free nor fair. Analysts view the prisoner release as an effort by the military government to project an image of stability and legitimacy ahead of the new parliamentary session.

The counterterrorism law carries penalties including death sentences and has been widely used since the 2021 military takeover to detain political opponents, journalists and activists. Despite the scale of the amnesty, there was no sign that Suu Kyi, now 80 and serving a 27-year sentence , would be included. She has been held largely in isolation since being removed from power.

Mass prisoner releases tied to public holidays are not unusual in Myanmar. Similar amnesties were announced during previous military administrations and in earlier years under junta rule, often during festivals such as Thingyan (the New Year) or national commemorations. However, rights groups note that most political detainees have typically been excluded from such measures.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners , more than 22,800 political detainees remain in custody nationwide. The group said the identities of those released under the latest amnesty were not immediately available, and warned that thousands arrested for dissent since 2021 continue to face long prison terms.