Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing Frees Former President U Win Myint Under Amnesty

Former Myanmar President U Win Myint was released under amnesty on Friday, state-owned Myanmar Radio and Television reported, according to Xinhua as carried by Global Times.

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Bernama-Xinhua similarly said the former president was released on Friday, citing MRTV, and placed the announcement in Yangon on April 17.

@globaltimesnews

The Associated Press report carried by Oskaloosa Herald said Win Myint was freed Friday as part of a broad prisoner amnesty by newly inaugurated President Min Aung Hlaing to mark the traditional New Year, with state-run media reporting the pardon order applied to more than 4,500 prisoners.

Global Times said the release came “on Friday,” while Bernama-Xinhua specified that Myanmar’s President U Min Aung Hlaing granted amnesty to over 4,500 prisoners on the first day of the Myanmar calendar New Year.

Dimsum Daily also tied the release to the first day of the Myanmar calendar New Year and said the pardon formed part of a wider clemency announced by President U Min Aung Hlaing.

The Global Times and Bernama-Xinhua accounts both anchored the release to MRTV, while Oskaloosa Herald added that it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included.

The Bangkok Post report added that Myanmar’s junta had also reduced the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and said Win Myint was freed as part of an amnesty, with MRTV saying he was granted a pardon and a reduction of remaining sentences under specified conditions.

The amnesty described across the reports included specific counts of prisoners and was issued in separate orders, with the totals varying by how outlets framed them.

Bernama-Xinhua said President U Min Aung Hlaing granted amnesty to 4,335 Myanmar prisoners and 179 foreign prisoners in separate orders on New Year’s Day, and said the amnesty was intended to mark Myanmar’s traditional New Year’s Day, bring peace and humanity, and enable the pardoned individuals to participate in nation-building.

Bangkok Post

Dimsum Daily likewise said that in total, 4,335 Myanmar nationals and 179 foreign prisoners were granted amnesty under separate orders issued on the public holiday, and it quoted state media saying the measure was intended to promote compassion and national reconciliation and to allow those freed to contribute positively to the country’s development.

The Bangkok Post said the new President Min Aung Hlaing approved the amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, and it described MRTV’s wording that Win Myint had been “granted a pardon and the reduction of his remaining sentences under specified conditions.”

Oskaloosa Herald, by contrast, said the pardon order applied to more than 4,500 prisoners, and it emphasized that it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included.

Global Times stated only that Win Myint was released under amnesty on Friday and did not provide the breakdown of prisoners in its excerpt, while Bernama-Xinhua and Dimsum Daily did.

Blue News, in its account, said the former president was released as part of a mass amnesty by the military junta and that the leadership pardoned almost 4,500 prisoners, including foreigners, according to media close to the state.

Blue News also added that it was initially unclear whether there was any hope of Aung San Suu Kyi being released, and it said she was sentenced to many years in prison, while Bangkok Post reported her sentence was reduced by one-sixth.

Taken together, the sources show that the amnesty’s scope was framed through both exact totals for Myanmar and foreign prisoners and broader language like “more than 4,500 prisoners” and “almost 4,500 prisoners.”

Alongside Win Myint’s release, the Bangkok Post reported that Myanmar reduced the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi, saying her lawyer told Reuters on Friday that Suu Kyi, 80, was serving a 27-year sentence for offences her allies said were politically motivated.

“Myanmar has reduced the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer told Reuters on Friday”

Bangkok Post

The Bangkok Post said the sentence was cut by one-sixth, but it remained unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner would be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, according to her lawyer.

The same Bangkok Post report said the junta freed Win Myint as part of an amnesty, with MRTV saying he was granted a pardon and the reduction of his remaining sentences under specified conditions.

Blue News similarly described that Win Myint was arrested after the military coup on February 1, 2021, together with Aung San Suu Kyi, and it said a court later sentenced him to more than nine years in prison for alleged offenses.

Blue News also said Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi (80) was sentenced to many years in prison and that it was initially unclear whether there was any hope of her being released.

Oskaloosa Herald’s AP report said there was no sign that 80-year-old former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed.

In the Global Times excerpt, the focus remained on Win Myint’s release under amnesty, but it still placed the event in the context of Myanmar’s state media and Xinhua reporting.

Together, the sources show that the amnesty and clemency were discussed in tandem with Suu Kyi’s sentence status, even as outlets differed on whether any release was expected or visible.

The Bangkok Post’s Reuters-based framing also introduced a specific uncertainty about whether Suu Kyi would serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, while Oskaloosa Herald emphasized the absence of any sign she would be freed.

Blue News provided a longer timeline around Win Myint’s imprisonment, saying he was arrested after the military coup on February 1, 2021, together with the then head of government Aung San Suu Kyi.

It said a court later sentenced him to more than nine years in prison for alleged offenses, and it described Suu Kyi as being sentenced to many years in prison as well.

blue News

Blue News also said that hundreds of relatives waited outside the notorious Insein Prison in the largest city of Yangon (formerly Rangoon) for news about their imprisoned family members.

It further said that the award-winning documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe (53), who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2024, was among those released, as reported by various media in the crisis-hit country.

The Bangkok Post report said Min Aung Hlaing staged a military coup against a democratically elected government led by Suu Kyi in 2021 and said he was elected president on April 3 in polls that were widely criticised by international observers as neither free nor fair.

Oskaloosa Herald’s AP report said Min Aung Hlaing was newly inaugurated and that the pardon order applied to more than 4,500 prisoners, but it again stressed that it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included.

Global Times and Bernama-Xinhua both tied the release to the traditional New Year celebrations and state broadcaster MRTV, but Blue News added the on-the-ground detail of relatives waiting outside Insein Prison.

Dimsum Daily and Bernama-Xinhua both described the amnesty as intended to promote compassion, national reconciliation, peace and humanity, and to enable those freed to participate in nation-building.

Across these accounts, the release of Win Myint is presented not only as a state media announcement but also as part of a broader clemency process that affected prisoners and drew attention from families at Insein Prison.

The sources frame the amnesty as part of an ongoing pattern of clemency and as a step that could affect how prisoners and political figures are treated, even as uncertainty remains about who was included.

“PoliticsMass amnesty in Myanmar: Former president goes free SDA 17”

blue News

Bernama-Xinhua said the amnesty was intended to bring peace and humanity to the public and enable the pardoned individuals to participate in nation-building, and it described the measure as marking Myanmar’s traditional New Year’s Day.

@globaltimesnews

Dimsum Daily similarly said state media described the measure as intended to promote compassion and national reconciliation and to allow those freed to contribute positively to the country’s development.

Oskaloosa Herald’s AP report, however, said it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included, and it said there was no sign that Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed.

Bangkok Post added that a spokesperson for the military-backed government did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it described the broader political context of Min Aung Hlaing’s presidency and the coup.

Blue News said that in recent years, the junta has already released thousands of prisoners several times to mark important holidays, and it described the most recent amnesty as taking place during a period of political upheaval that included an internationally controversial parliamentary election in December and January.

It also said critics and international observers do not see this as a genuine democratic process, but rather a staging to consolidate military power.

Global Times and Bernama-Xinhua both anchored the release to MRTV reporting and to the New Year timing, but they did not provide a detailed list of who would be released beyond the totals and the mention of Win Myint.

Taken together, the sources suggest that the immediate consequence is the release of Win Myint and the broader amnesty affecting thousands of prisoners, while the longer-term implications remain tied to whether additional political prisoners, including those linked to opposing military rule, are included and whether Suu Kyi’s situation changes further.