Myanmar - March 2026

Myanmar’s military junta announced a mass amnesty on 2–3 March, pardoning 7,337 prisoners and closing/withdrawing counterterrorism-law cases for 12,487 others (including some tried in absentia). Reporting described the move as timed to gain public sympathy ahead of parliament’s reconvening after the junta-run elections, with releases including at least some political detainees and journalists. The junta has frequently announced amnesties throughout its time in power, but rarely on this scale. In November 2025 a similar amnesty resulted in the release of 3,085 prisoners and charges being dropped against another 5,500. However, the amnesties have not included the highest-profile political prisoners and are broadly understood to be an attempt by the junta to gain ‘legitimacy’ with the general public, and many thousands of prisoners remain.

Sources: The Diplomat, JURIST, ISP-Myanmar, Committee to Protect Journalists