Myanmar Junta reduces Suu Kyi’s sentence terms

Myanmar’s military-led government has announced a mass amnesty and sentence reductions for thousands of prisoners, including a cut in the jail term of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

State broadcaster MRTV reported on Friday (April 17) that President Min Aung Hlaing has approved clemency for 4,335 prisoners, in one of his first major moves since assuming the presidency.

According to officials, Suu Kyi’s sentence has been reduced by about four and a half years from her current 27-year term. However, it remains unclear whether she will be moved from prison to house arrest.

Former president Win Myint has also been granted partial clemency, with the remainder of his sentence waived under specific conditions.

The junta said the amnesty includes commuting death sentences to life imprisonment, reducing life terms to 40 years, and shortening sentences for other inmates. A total of 179 foreign nationals are among those to be released and will be deported to their home countries.

Mass pardons are typically announced in Myanmar during major national occasions, including Independence Day in January and the traditional New Year in April.