NAYPYIDAW — Several high-profile members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and former government ministers were among thousands released from prison on Monday as part of a mass amnesty by Myanmar’s military junta.
The release, timed to mark Farmer’s Day, includes Dr. Myo Aung, a member of the NLD’s Central Executive Committee and former Mayor of Naypyidaw. Dr. Myo Aung was a key figure in the civilian government ousted during the February 2021 military coup.
Others confirmed to have been released include:
- U Min Thu, former Minister of the Union Government Office.
- U Ye Min Oo, former Deputy Mayor of Naypyidaw.
- Daw Moe Moe Su Kyi, former Yangon Region Minister for Immigration and Human Resources.
A former lawmaker from the 2020 election confirmed the releases to MPA, noting that these individuals had been detained on multiple charges widely viewed by legal experts as politically motivated.
The move is part of a broader amnesty involving 7,337 prisoners nationwide under Order No. (8/2026).
While the military council frames the release as a humanitarian gesture, the bulk of those freed were held under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law—charges frequently used to criminalize dissent and support for the pro-democracy movement.
Dr. Myo Aung and his colleagues were among the first wave of officials detained during the early hours of the coup in 2021. Their release comes at a time when the military administration is facing significant pressure from both domestic resistance and international sanctions.
Despite the release of these prominent figures, thousands of other political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, remain in detention.
Rights groups have cautioned that such amnesties often carry strict conditions under Section 401(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, meaning those released could be forced to serve their remaining sentences if re-arrested.
The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) is currently monitoring jails across the country to verify the exact number of political detainees who have regained their freedom in this latest round of releases.
In a dramatic turn of events, U Ye Min Oo, the former Deputy Mayor of Naypyidaw and a prominent figure in the National League for Democracy (NLD), was reportedly re-arrested moments after being released as part of a mass amnesty on Monday.
Witnesses and prison sources confirmed to MPA that U Ye Min Oo had reached the main gates of Insein Prison before being taken back into custody by security forces. “He reached the prison gate, but they took him again right there,” a source close to the prison administration stated.
Earlier in the day, pro-military media outlets, including NP News, had reported his release alongside other senior NLD officials.
U Ye Min Oo has been in detention since the first day of the military coup on February 1, 2021. He is known to have suffered severe interrogation, resulting in serious injuries including broken ribs. Before this latest development, he was serving a total of 26 years in prison on multiple charges, including Section 409 of the Penal Code related to criminal breach of trust—charges he and his legal team have consistently denied.
