Myanmar’s ruling military pardoned on Tuesday jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi on five of the 19 offences for which she was convicted but she will remain under house arrest, state media and informed sources said.
The pardons mean six years will be shaved off Suu Kyi’s 33-year jail term, junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told the Eleven Media Group, adding that it was part of an amnesty under which more than 7 000 prisoners were freed across Myanmar.
The southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government and cracked down on opponents of military rule, with thousands jailed or killed. On Monday, the junta postponed an election promised by August this year and extended a state of emergency by six months, which critics said would prolong the crisis.
The 78-year-old Nobel Laureate, who was detained during the coup, was last week moved to house arrest from prison in the capital, Naypyitaw. She denies all the charges for which she was convicted, ranging from incitement and election fraud to corruption, and has been appealing against them.
Source: Reuters
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