President Win Myint was released from Bago Region’s Taungoo Prison by Min Aung Hlaing in a Myanmar New Year amnesty, which included a total of 4,514 prisoners, on Friday.
Myo Nyunt, an executive member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, confirmed to DVB that Win Myint has been reunited with his family at their rental home in Naypyidaw on April 17.
President Win Myint was ousted in the military coup led by Min Aung Hlaing on Feb. 1, 2021 and has been held in detention over the last five years.
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was also detained during the 2021 military coup, remains in prison. One of her lawyers told DVB that they are not aware of any reduction to her 27-year sentence after Reuters reported that it will be reduced by one-sixth.
The lawyer told DVB that she’ll be transferred from prison to house arrest. But no location was disclosed.
Win Myint was sentenced to 14 years after being convicted by a regime court of corruption and Section 130-A of the Penal Code which penalizes the “exertion of influence” over Myanmar’s electoral body, the Union Election Commission (UEC), during elections held prior to the coup in 2020.
Min Aung Hlaing, who was inaugurated as president of Myanmar by a pro-military parliament on April 10, announced the commutation of death sentences to life imprisonment. He also reduced life sentences to 40 years, capped sentences exceeding 40 years at 40 years, and cut sentences under 40 years by one-sixth on April 17.
A total of 179 foreign prisoners were reportedly released and deported the same day. Their nationalities were not disclosed. The number of political prisoners released has also not been disclosed as Min Aung Hlaing’s regime has imprisoned 30,870 people since the 2021 coup for political reasons with 22,170 still behind bars.
Two previous amnesties, which took place on Peasants’ Day March 2, and Independence Day Jan. 4, have led to a total of 20,872 prisoners being freed so far this year.
On March 2, a total of 10,172 prisoners were released, including 7,337 convicted of violating the Counter-Terrorism Law. On Jan. 4, a total of 6,186 prisoners were released, but sources told DVB no political prisoners were included.
Thirty local and international pro-democracy and human rights campaigners, as well as Myanmar activists, launched a 12-day Blue Shirt Campaign April 10-21 to commemorate the death of Hanthawaddy U Win Tin, a prominent former political prisoner and journalist who passed away on April 21, 2014.
The campaign calls for the immediate release of all detained political prisoners in Myanmar, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) told DVB that 2,934 political prisoners convicted under the Counter-Terrorism Law were still being held in prison.
