Myanmar frees over 4,000 prisoners in annual tradition
April 17, 2026
Myanmar's new president, Min Aung Hlaing, on Friday approved the release of 4,335 prisoners from the country's jails, reportedly including some 179 foreign nationals.
Such mass amnesty schemes tend to be carried out to mark the nation's Independence Day in January and its New Year in April.
What do we know about the latest release order?
Hundreds of people gathered in front of Myanmar's infamous Insein Prison in Yangon on Friday in hopes of greeting freed loved ones.
Surprisingly, former President Win Myint — who was arrested alongside Aung San Suu Kyi after Myanmar's February 1, 2021, military coup — was freed.
However, there has been no word on whether Myanmar's former leader, Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, will be among those released. The 80-year-old is being held in an unknown location as she serves out a 27-year sentence for what are seen as politically motivated charges.
Her lawyer told Reuters news agency that her sentence was reduced on Friday by one-sixth. It remains unclear whether she will be allowed to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest.
President Hlaing promises stability and reconciliation as civil war rages on
The release of prisoners was approved by Myanmar's new president, Min Aung Hlaing, who led the 2021 military coup that toppled the country's leadership and plunged the nation into a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Hlaing was formally elected president by Myanmar's parliament on April 3 of this year, cementing his grip on power.
The formality came on the heels of a controversial junta-organized parliamentary election that saw Myanmar's military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) run virtually unopposed.
Speaking at his inauguration, Hlaing vowed that stability and reconciliation would be his top priorities.
The rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) claims that more than 30,000 people have been jailed on political charges since Hlaing organized the coup that brought him to power in 2021.
Edited by: Rana Taha