YANGON: Myanmar’s military junta granted amnesty today to more than 7,000 prisoners convicted of financing or sheltering a “terrorist group”, a designation it has used to outlaw pro-democracy factions opposing its rule.
Thousands of dissenting civilians have been swept into jails since Myanmar’s military snatched power in a 2021 coup, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy and detaining elected figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.
Pro-democracy activists backing Suu Kyi and armed groups challenging the military in a civil war have been labelled “terrorist” outfits, and far-reaching laws punish association with life prison terms and possible death sentences.