Petitions submitted to Myanmar's military chief led to the early release of seven Myanmar soldiers convicted of killing 10 Rohingya villagers during military operations in Rakhine state in 2017, RFA reported quoting a military spokesman.

The freeing of the soldiers, who were serving 10-year sentences for the September 2017 killings of 10 Rohingya men and boys in Maungdaw township’s Inn Din village, has drawn heavy criticism from Rohingya activists and other prominent observers.

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun from the Myanmar military's information team said the soldiers’ sentences were reduced after their family members and Buddhist monks submitted petitions to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, but he added that criticism of the decision to free the soldiers early is acceptable given the brief amount of time they spent behind bars.