Myanmar pardons over 4,000 prisoners, including deposed president

Myanmar pardons former leader Win Myint, while lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi says her jail sentence has been reduced.Thousands of prisoners in Myanmar have been granted amnesty or had their sentences reduced. The pardon order by Min Aung Hlaing is one of his first official acts since the coup leader became president this month.The move comes as the lawyer for jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the Reuters news agency that her sentence has been reduced. Former president Win Myint, detained since the 2021 coup, was also pardoned of his convictions, a statement from the presidency said.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Myanmar’s coup leader elected president by pro-military parliamentlist 2 of 2Myanmar’s coup leader Min Aung Hlaing sworn in as presidentend of listMin ‌Aung Hlaing approved an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, Myanmar’s state television MRTV reported.A communique on behalf of Min Aung Hlaing said “those serving death sentences shall have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment”, without naming specific prisoners.“The President has pardoned Win Myint,” said another statement from Min Aung Hlaing’s office. Win Myint was “granted a pardon and the reduction of his remaining sentences under ⁠specified conditions”, ⁠MRTV said.Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a 27-year sentence on charges her allies describe as politically motivated. Her sentence was cut by one-sixth, her lawyer told Reuters, but ‌it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest. Min Aung Hlaing placed Suu Kyi under arrest after the coup.Amnesties ⁠typically happen as Myanmar marks Independence Day in January and its New Year in April.Among those to be released are 179 foreign nationals, who will be deported. The amnesty also includes the commutation of all death sentences to life imprisonment, life sentences reduced to 40 years, and a one-sixth reduction in term lengths for all other prisoners.30,000 political prisonersThe latest amnesty comes just a week after Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president in the capital Naypyidaw.