Myanmar's Suu Kyi granted partial pardon by Myanmar Junta
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Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun revealed that the pardons imply that Suu Kyi's 33-year prison sentence would be reduced by six years.
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Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges in The Hague, Netherlands, on December 11, 2019. (AP)
According to Myanmar state media and sources, the governing military pardoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi on five of the 19 charges against her, noting she will stay under house arrest.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun revealed the pardons imply that Suu Kyi's 33-year prison sentence would be reduced by six years, as part of an amnesty in which more than 7,000 inmates were released across the conflict-torn country.
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Since the military overthrew the government in February 2021, Myanmar has been in upheaval.
The carnage caused by the coup has not yet been stopped, despite diplomatic attempts led by the UN and the ASEAN alliance to address the situation.
The Junta postponed an election scheduled for August of this year and prolonged the state of emergency for another six months on Monday, which critics fear would prolong the turmoil.
The 78-year-old Suu Kyi was imprisoned on five counts of corruption linked to the employment, procurement, and maintenance of a helicopter that resulted in a "loss to the state," as per the source.
She has been convicted of every crime leveled against her, from embezzlement to illegally having walkie-talkies and violating Covid rules.
According to a junta official, the military's State Administration Council also shortened the jail term of former president Win Myint, who was jailed at the same time as Suu Kyi, by four years.
Reliable sources say both Suu Kyi and Win Myint will remain in custody.
According to a diplomatic source, Tuesday's pardon is a "cosmetic move," explaining that "This is a signal to the international community - without doing anything substantive."
A spokesperson for a shadow National Unity Government formed by Suu Kyi’s supporters and other opponents of the military, Kyaw Zaw, stated the partial pardons only happened due to pressure from Western nations and other Asian nations.
"This is just a political trick ... aimed at relieving pressure," Zaw stated.
UN envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer to step down in June: Dujarric
The UN special envoy for Myanmar left her post in June, the UN chief spokesperson announced to AFP on June 1, after an 18-month term during which she faced criticism from the junta and its opponents.
In an action criticized by rights organizations as lending legitimacy to the generals, she visited the Southeast Asian country in August and met with Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, and other senior military figures.
But she was refused a meeting with imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi and later irritated junta officials who accused her of issuing a "one-sided statement" about what had been discussed.
Later, when Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in prison, she promised she would never return to the nation unless she could meet her.
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