Hundreds of prisoners were released in Myanmar on Sunday (Jan 4) following an annual independence day amnesty announced by the ruling junta, just a week after the country began a highly controversial election widely denounced by international observers as a sham.
A dozen buses carrying released prisoners departed Yangon’s notorious Insein prison on Sunday morning, with some prisoners waving to crowds of well-wishers gathered outside. Family members held up signs with the names of loved ones, unsure if they would be among those pardoned.
One man, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said he was hoping to see his father, jailed for “doing politics.” “His sentence is about to end. I hope he will be released as soon as possible,” he said.
In total, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pardoned 6,134 Myanmar nationals, according to the National Defence and Security Council, adding that 52 foreign prisoners would also be freed and deported. The annual amnesty was described by the military as being “on humanitarian and compassionate grounds,” coinciding with the country’s 78th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule.
Outside Insein, tearful reunions unfolded as many freed prisoners embraced relatives. Some had been jailed for non-political crimes such as drug offenses, theft, or loitering.
“I am very happy to reunite with my family,” said 35-year-old Yazar Tun, who served around eight months of a one-year sentence for loitering. He held one of his three children as he exited the prison gates.
Among those released was prominent model and former doctor Nang Mwe San, who was arrested in 2022 on charges of “harming culture and dignity” after posting allegedly explicit videos online.
The prisoner release comes amid a phased, month-long election that began a week ago, which junta leaders claim will usher in democracy and national reconciliation. Critics, however, argue the vote is merely a rebranding of military rule.
In the first phase of the election, the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has taken a commanding lead, claiming 90 percent of the lower house seats announced so far, according to state media reports. Analysts describe the USDP as effectively a civilian proxy for the military. Two additional phases of voting are scheduled for Jan 11 and Jan 25.
The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by jailed pro-democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, did not appear on the ballots. The military nullified the NLD’s landslide victory in the 2020 election, citing alleged voter fraud that international monitors have dismissed as baseless.
Official figures indicate voter turnout in the first phase exceeded 50 percent of eligible voters, lower than the approximately 70 percent participation rate in the 2020 election.
Myanmar has a long history of granting mass pardons to commemorate national holidays or Buddhist festivals. In 2024, the junta released over 9,000 prisoners to mark independence day, while nearly 6,000 were freed in 2023. Pre-election amnesties are also common; in November 2025, more than 3,000 prisoners were released under post-coup legislation restricting free speech, including a key aide to Suu Kyi.
Rights groups and Western diplomats continue to express concern over the junta’s conduct, highlighting ongoing human rights abuses and the suppression of political dissent. Insein prison, long notorious for allegations of brutality, remains a symbol of Myanmar’s post-coup crackdown, even as families celebrate reunions with freed relatives.
Sunday’s releases, while offering personal relief to thousands of families, underscore the complex political landscape in Myanmar—a nation navigating armed conflict, contested elections, and international scrutiny while the military seeks to maintain its grip on power.
