Activists for political prisoners accused the junta of fabricating its announced amnesty figures, saying they are fake and do not reflect reality.
Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who recently assumed the presidency through a sham election, announced an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners on April 17, Myanmar’s traditional New Year’s Day. However, according to the Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPNM), only 1,685 prisoners were actually released.
Activists denounced the junta’s New Year’s Day amnesty as a political ploy, calling it a dishonest attempt to repair its deteriorating image and deceive the international community.
“The recent amnesty is nothing more than a dishonest political ploy by the junta. The number of inmates actually released is far below what was announced, and political prisoners made up only a very small proportion of those freed,” said Ma Yaung Ni Lin, a member of the PPNM Steering Committee.
“We’ve noticed that this New Year’s Day amnesty includes people sentenced under Section 52. In a previous amnesty, those convicted under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) were also released. So, we had hoped that everyone jailed under the same charges would be included this time, but some are still being left out,” she told NMG.
The 292 political prisoners granted amnesty by the junta included prominent figures such as President U Win Myint, activist Shin Daewe, and Dr. Tin Min Htut. However, critics said the move is merely an attempt by the junta to reduce international pressure.
“International organizations have also learned that the junta published false amnesty figures. Resistance groups and political prisoners’ rights organizations have exposed the accurate data, helping the international community see through the junta’s deceptive claims,” said Ma Zu Zu May Yoon, founder of the Women's Organization of Political Prisoners (WOPP).
She said that only the unconditional release of all political prisoners, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, would constitute a genuine step forward.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) also stated in an announcement on April 17 that the junta is manipulating political prisoners in an attempt to cover up its crimes.
The resistance-led National Unity Government (NUG) and international organizations also condemned the junta’s false claims, calling for power to be handed over to the people’s representatives elected in the 2020 election—results that truly reflected the will of the people—and for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
