Over 23,000 prisoners remitted sentences in Myanmar

The State Administration Council of Myanmar remitted sentences of 23,314 local prisoners and 55 foreign prisoners on Friday, according to the council’s orders.

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, as chair of the council, granted pardon to the inmates who received punishments for any offence before 31 January this year.

The state pardon order reduced the death penalty to life imprisonment with no possibility of release, life imprisonment and with no possibility of release to 40 years, excluding those who have been pardoned from the death penalty to life imprisonment in the previous amnesty orders.

Prisoners who have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the previous amnesty orders will be reduced to 50 years of imprisonment, punishment of more than 40 years of imprisonment will be reduced to 40 years while 40 years and under are cut one-fourth, it said.

The moves aim to turn the prisoners into decent citizens, to please the public and to create the humanitarian and compassionate grounds while establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and disciplines, the council said.

A one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar after president U Win Myint and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained by the military on 1 February.

The state power was handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, and the State Administration Council was formed later.