Myanmar has reduced the sentence of imprisoned State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer told Reuters on Friday.
Suu Kyi, 80, was serving a 27-year sentence for a litany of offences her allies said were politically motivated to keep her at bay, ranging from incitement and corruption to election fraud and violating a state secrets law.
The sentence has been cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, the lawyer said.
Min Aung Hlaing, inaugurated as Myanmar’s president by a pro-military parliament on April 10, announced an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, regime media reported on Friday – the third amnesty in the past six months.
Amnesties typically take place in Myanmar each year to mark Independence Day in January and New Year in April.
A spokesperson for the military-backed administration in Naypyidaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Min Aung Hlaing staged a military coup against a democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, plunging the country into turmoil.
He was elected president by pro-military lawmakers on April 3 in polls that were widely criticised by international observers as neither free nor fair.
REUTERS
