Myanmar's military government pardons 10,000 prisoners before Parliament opens

Myanmar's military government pardons over 10,000 prisoners ahead of Parliament's reopening, but Aung San Suu Kyi remains imprisoned.

The head of Myanmar's military government granted amnesty to more than 10,000 prisoners and reduced the sentences of others to mark a holiday, State-run media reported on Monday (February 2, 2026).

There was no sign that former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the military takeover in 2021 and has been held virtually incommunicado since then, would be freed.

The amnesty comes two weeks before Parliament is set to convene for its first session in more than five years, following the recent election that critics said was neither free nor fair.

State-run MRTV television reported that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, pardoned 10,162 prisoners, including 7,337 convicted under a counterterrorism law, on Peasants' Day, a national holiday honouring farmers.

A separate statement said 12,487 people who were either being prosecuted under that law or were in hiding will receive amnesty and have their incitement cases closed.

The law carries a potential death penalty and was widely used to arrest and imprison political opponents, journalists, and others involved in dissent since the 2021 army takeover.