19 April 2026 By Hsu Yee
YANGON, Myanmar — A prominent monitoring group has accused Myanmar’s military junta of systematic deception regarding its latest mass prisoner amnesty, claiming that the actual number of inmates released is significantly lower than the figures officially announced by the regime.
On the traditional Buddhist New Year (April 17), the military administration announced it would grant amnesty to 4,335 prisoners. However, the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported late Saturday that they could only confirm the release of 1,686 individuals across 40 prisons nationwide—less than 40% of the junta’s promised figure.
Of those released, only 292 have been identified as political prisoners, many of whom were nearing the end of their sentences. PPNM leaders argue the move was a calculated attempt to ease international pressure without relinquishing control over key political activists.
“This is nothing more than a political performance to satisfy international observers,” Ma Yaung Ni Linn, a leading member of the PPNM steering committee, told MPA. “There is a massive discrepancy between their claim of 4,000 releases and the 1,600 we have verified on the ground. It shows a clear intent to mislead both the public and the global community.”
According to PPNM, this pattern of inflating amnesty figures is a recurring tactic used by the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s administration. “In previous amnesties where they claimed to release 7,000 or 10,000 people, the actual numbers documented never reached those targets,” the group stated. “This time is no different; they use these numbers to project a sense of leniency while maintaining the same iron grip on dissent.”
The confirmed releases took place across several major facilities, including Insein, Obo, Tharyarwaddy, and Daik-U prisons. Despite the freedom of some activists, thousands of others remain behind bars, often in dire conditions and facing charges related to their opposition to the 2021 military coup.
The discrepancy in figures comes at a time when the junta is struggling for diplomatic recognition. Human rights organisations have long warned that such amnesties are often “revolving doors,” where political prisoners are released only for others to be arrested shortly after.
As families gather outside prison gates across the country, the mood remains one of cautious relief for a few and continued despair for the many whose loved ones remain unaccounted for in the junta’s inconsistent and opaque legal system.
