Between 17 April and 30 April 2026, the Myanmar military junta announced two successive prison amnesties, though local monitoring groups report stark discrepancies between the regime’s stated figures and actual releases. From 17 to 20 April, the junta claimed to release 4,335 prisoners and commute various sentences. However, the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported only 1,686 individuals were freed, with political prisoners constituting just 17% (292 people). Furthermore, most pardoned individuals had only months remaining on their sentences.
On 30 April 2026, marking the Full Moon Day of Kasone, the junta announced a second amnesty for 1,519 prisoners. This included four artists: directors Zambu Htun Thet Lwin and Aung Chan Lu, comedian Ohn Daing, and actor Kyaw Win Htut, who had been serving maximum seven-year sentences under the draconian “Election Protection Law.” The directors were originally convicted simply for using “Love” and “Haha” emoji reactions on social media posts critical of the junta’s sham elections. The amnesty specifically excluded other prominent cultural figures, such as movie director Mike Tee, who remains incarcerated for criticizing a junta propaganda film.