- Title: Myanmar's former president Win Myint is pardoned for two offences
- Date: 1st August 2023
- Summary: Win Myint attended Myanmar's 73rd Martyrs Day with senior government officials in attendance wearing masks and keeping safe distances from each other to mitigate the risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus. The day commemorates fallen national heroes including General Aung San and eight others who died in 1947. YANGON, MYANMAR (FILE - JULY 19, 2020) (AGENCY POOL) WIN MYINT (BLACK MASK) ARRIVING FOR CEREMONY WIN MYINT LOOKING ON PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS AT CEREMONY LOOKING TO GUARDS HOLDING FLOWER
- Embargoed: 15th August 2023 08:21
- Keywords: MYINT SWE Myanmar Win Myint military junta president
- Location: YANGON, NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR
- City: YANGON, NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR
- Country: Myanmar
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA005359110032022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Myanmar's ruling military junta on Tuesday (August 1) pardoned former president Win Myint for two out of 8 offences, according to local news agency Khit Thit.
Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi also received a pardon for five of the numerous offences for which she was jailed for a total of 33 years, state media reported on Tuesday.
The pardons would mean a reduction of four years in Win Myint's jail term, and six years in Suu Kyi's, according to a junta spokesperson.
An informed source said both Suu Kyi and Win Myint would remain in detention.
Win Myint was detained, together with Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in early 2021 after morning raids.
The army said it had carried out the detentions in response to "election fraud" after the 2020 vote, handing power to military chief Min Aung Hlaing and imposing a state of emergency for one year, according to a statement on a military-owned television station.
Myanmar's military said it had to take power in early 2021 to ensure that the complaints were investigated. Election monitoring groups found no evidence of mass fraud.
The overthrow of Suu Kyi's elected government derailed a decade of reform, international engagement and economic growth.
Myanmar’s military has drawn global condemnation for its heavy-handed crackdown on opponents such as Suu Kyi, which has seen thousands jailed or killed.
On Monday (July 31), the ruling junta officially postponed an election promised by August this year after its 2021 coup, state television reported.
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, in a meeting on Monday with the army-backed National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), extended a state of emergency by six more months.
The military cited ongoing violence as a reason to postpone the vote.
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