Myanmar Junta Amnesty: Myanmar’s military junta said on Saturday it would release about 6,000 prisoners in an annual amnesty to mark Independence Day.
Since the Myanmar military launched a coup in February 2021, it has arrested thousands of protesters and activists, ending Myanmar’s brief democratic experiment and plunging the country into chaos. Also imprisoned by the military junta is former Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The 79-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 27 years in prison on 14 criminal charges, including sedition, election fraud, corruption, etc. However, according to her lawyer, Aung San Suu Kyi denies all charges.
January 4 marks the 77th anniversary of Myanmar’s independence from British colonial rule.
According to the military junta’s statement, the number of prisoners released was 5,864, including 180 foreigners; there was no indication that Aung San Suu Kyi was among the released prisoners.
Details of the prisoners’ nationalities and crimes have not yet been released. The military said the pardon was made on “humanitarian and compassionate grounds.” The terms of the release warn that if the released prisoners break the law again, they must serve the rest of their original sentences in addition to their new sentences.
In addition, the military government also announced that 144 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment would be commuted to 15 years.
Myanmar often pardons thousands of prisoners to mark festivals or Buddhist holidays. Last year, the military announced the release of more than 9,000 prisoners to celebrate Independence Day.
Myanmar held its annual Independence Day ceremony in the heavily guarded capital Naypyidaw on Saturday morning, attended by about 500 government and military personnel.
The speech of the military junta’s top leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, was delivered by Deputy General Soe Win, who did not attend the event.
On behalf of the military, Soe Win once again called on dozens of ethnic armed groups that are fighting against it to lay down their arms and “resolve political issues through peaceful means.” He again promised that the military would hold the postponed democratic elections and called for national unity. However, this statement was criticized by the opposition as a “scam.”
To consolidate its power, the military government on Friday enacted a new cybersecurity law to strictly control the dissemination of information and restrict freedom of speech. The law came into effect on January 1.
The military attaches great importance to Internet control because the movement against the military government is highly dependent on social platforms. For example, Facebook and other channels are used to gather people to take to the streets. As non-violent protests escalate into armed resistance and independent media are forced to close or go underground, anti-military government content on the Internet has increased rapidly, especially the chat and social application Telegram.
Under the military’s current rules, most restrictions on free speech are tied to charges for online content under national security laws, which are often broadly and vaguely defined.
The military also blocks websites and apps at the network level, preventing end users from accessing content the military doesn’t want them to see. They use technology provided by their key allies, China and Russia, for surveillance and censorship purposes.
The new cybersecurity law expands restrictions, mainly targeting communication means and service providers, such as restricting virtual private networks (VPNs), which can help Internet users bypass blockades, connect to the Internet through third-party computers, and hide Internet users’ footprints from Internet providers and government surveillance.
The new law stipulates that those who provide VPN services without official permission will be sentenced to one to six months in prison or fined 1 million to 10 million Myanmar Kyats (about 476 to 4,760 U.S. dollars). Related equipment will also be confiscated.
In May last year, users found that the free VPN service was no longer available. There are reports that if the security forces find that the mobile phone has a VPN installed, they will be fined and detained.
The new law also stipulates that digital platform service providers who fail to comply with regulations to prevent, delete, and stop the spread of “false information” and “rumors” that may cause hatred, undermine unity, and disrupt stability will be subject to sanctions such as warnings, fines, suspension of operations, and blacklisting.
Those who publish illegal information will also be punished. In addition, the new law also stipulates that digital platform service providers must keep user names, personal data, and records for up to three years, and the military government can require service providers to hand over user personal data at any time.
This control of speech is not only aimed at citizens in Myanmar. The law stipulates that if it is necessary to safeguard public interests and national security, the authorities can take action against overseas Myanmar citizens who violate the law.
Discover more from Meritnews24
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
