Newly elected Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing has authorized a general amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, including 179 foreign nationals awaiting deportation. The presidential decree, issued from the capital city of Naypyitaw, also commutes existing death sentences to life in prison and cuts other inmates’ terms by one-sixth. This mass pardon follows Hlaing’s recent ascension to the presidency in early April, cementing his power after a controversial military-backed general election. Human rights advocates note that over 30,000 people, including ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, have been detained on political grounds since the army seized control of Myanmar in 2021. As the Southeast Asian nation remains engulfed in civil war, it is still unclear if any prominent political dissidents will actually benefit from this latest measure.
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