Naypyitaw: Days after Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from jail to house arrest, state media reports on Tuesday (Aug 1) said she has been pardoned in five criminal cases in a junta amnesty. Suu Kyi was arrested two years ago in a daytime coup, after which a military junta took over the reins of the nation.
The Nobel Laureate was pardoned for five of the 19 charges leveled against her, the junta said in a statement. She still faces legal troubles in 14 others. Sources told that despite the clemency, Suu Kyi will not be freed from house arrest.
The junta clemency is part of a religious ceremony, due to be held this week (August 3). The military has built a new giant sitting Buddha statue, as a symbol of devotion and will open it to the public on August 3. Apart from Suu Kyi, more than 7,000 prisoners have been granted amnesty as well.
Up until last week, the 78-year-old Suu Kyi was lodged in a prison in the capital city of Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi had been sentenced to 33 years in prison after a range of charges were brought by the army against her. This was after the military seized power in a coup in early 2021. Most of the charges, experts argue, have been brought in to keep her away from garnering public support. Her party had won a second five-year mandate in the 2020 elections before the military came calling.
The speculation about Suu Kyi’s transfer had been circulating since Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai’s prison meeting with her. He became the first foreign visitor allowed to meet her following her arrest. Suu Kyi, renowned for her peaceful advocacy for democracy and human rights, appeared to have shifted her stance while in detention, leading some to suggest that this change might have contributed to the decision for clemency.
Comments