UPDATE - Military junta grants state clemency to Myanmar’s Suu Kyi

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Myanmar’s military junta on Tuesday granted state clemency to incarcerated leader Aung San Suu Kyi, pardoning her of five of the 19 charges brought against her, according to media reports.

Under the pardon, Suu Kyi will have six years reduced from her 33 years of prison term.

Former President Win Myint, who was ousted along with Suu Kyi, also received a reduced jail sentence and will now serve eight years instead of 12.

The former leaders of the National League for Democracy party have been incarcerated since the February 2021 coup.

Suu Kyi, 78, has denied the charges, which range from incitement and election fraud to corruption.

The development comes a day after the junta extended state of emergency in the Southeast Asian nation by six months, the fourth time since the coup. The move also coincided with a Buddhist holiday.

Military council secretary Lt-Gen Aung Lin Dwe said the act was intended “to bring peace of mind” and was carried out “in consideration of humanitarian concerns” on the sacred religious occasion.

The Nobel laureate's most recent conviction was in December 2022 on charges that included the rental, maintenance, and purchase of a helicopter for disaster purposes.