Myanmar junta grants mass amnesty to over 3,000 political prisoners ahead of December election

YANGON, MYANMAR: The military junta in Myanmar has granted a broad amnesty ahead of the 28 December election, releasing 3,085 political prisoners and ordering charges dropped against 5,580 others.

According to state-run Myanmar International TV, the released prisoners were convicted under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, which criminalises statements deemed likely to incite members of the military to mutiny.

Authorities stated that the releases are intended to ensure that eligible voters do not lose their right to participate in the upcoming election.

Notices published in the Global New Light of Myanmar reported that the National Defense and Security Council authorised the measures.

The council also approved the remission and pardon of 724 individuals, granted on Wednesday as part of what officials described as steps to move towards a multi-party democratic system.

A further 2,361 prisoners received remission and were released under the same directive.

State broadcaster MRTV reported, as noted by the Associated Press, that the amnesty was issued to support citizens’ ability to vote “freely and fairly” in the poll.

Similarly, ongoing cases against 5,580 people who had been arrested but not yet convicted under Section 505(a) were ordered closed.

These individuals are now set for release.

Section 505(a) has been widely used since the February 2021 coup to suppress dissent. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 30,000 people have been arrested since the takeover, and more than 22,000 remain in detention.

Questions remain over whether all individuals approved for release have been freed.

Junta announcements periodically include political prisoners but often in small numbers.

This week’s action represents one of the largest such releases since the coup, but observers argue the timing is politically motivated.

Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign U.K. noted on X that the news was positive for those freed but suggested that the military was using the amnesty to promote “a fake narrative of reform” ahead of the polls.

Analysts have expressed doubt about the credibility of the election. Critics have described the process as designed to entrench military rule under a civilian façade.

In 2023, the junta dissolved 40 political parties, including the National League for Democracy, which won the 2015 and 2020 elections in landslides. Its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, remains imprisoned.

The military has also intensified military operations in regions controlled by resistance forces, alongside new laws aimed at preventing disruptions to the vote.

The conditions attached to the latest amnesty have also drawn scrutiny. Those released must not commit further offences or risk serving both a new sentence and the remainder of their previous term.

The notices make clear that the military retains broad authority to rearrest individuals should they engage in activities deemed threatening to its rule.

Myanmar has remained under emergency rule since the February 2021 coup that overturned the elected National League for Democracy government.

The country faces ongoing conflict, economic decline, and widespread displacement.

The junta stated that the 28 December election will help return the nation to a multi-party system, though most international observers remain sceptical.