A total of 104 men and women detained in Dooplaya District, Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 6’s territory, have been granted amnesty by order of the KNU chairman, the district administration’s information department announced.

The KNU’s Department of Home Affairs, Religious Affairs and Prisons granted amnesty to 92 men and 12 women, excluding those serving sentences longer than seven years for major crimes such as rape, murder, and drug trafficking. The KNU said the amnesty ceremony was held on February 23.

The amnesty applied to those sentenced before January 31 this year, aiming to give them a chance to reform and contribute to the future welfare and prosperity of Kawthoolei, a proposed independent and sovereign state envisioned by Karen nationalists, and was granted from a humanitarian perspective, the Dooplaya District Administration said.

Inmates released under the amnesty will face full punishment for any new crimes, and their amnesty will be revoked, meaning they must serve both the remaining term of their original sentence and any additional time for new offenses. The KNU also reduced the sentences of other inmates not included in the amnesty by one-fourth.

The KNU said inmates still in detention may be considered for amnesty at a later date if they demonstrate good behavior.

The amnesty ceremony for 104 inmates was held at an undisclosed location in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, within Brigade 6 territory. Officials from the KNU police department, KNU troops, Department of Home Affairs, Religious Affairs and Prisons officials, and the inmates attended the event.