Myanmar: Myanmar’s military junta has commuted the death sentences of 38 individuals as part of an amnesty that saw more than 2,000 political prisoners released.

The country’s human rights commission welcomed the decision to commute the death sentences to life imprisonment and the release of political prisoners in a brief statement published in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.

The statement expressed hope that similar positive steps would continue in the future. The commission did not provide details on the prisoners whose sentences were commuted.

Myanmar’s military has been using violent force to suppress opposition to its rule since seizing power from the elected government in February 2021. The crackdown has led to mass protests and an armed uprising, with some civilians joining the People’s Defence Forces and working alongside established ethnic armed groups.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the military has characterised its opponents as “terrorists,” and there are currently 112 post-coup prisoners on death row.

Dissidents are tried behind closed doors in secretive military-run courts that fail to uphold international due process and fair trial standards, according to rights groups. In July 2020, the military executed four prominent political activists, including a prominent ally of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, in the country’s first use of capital punishment since the 1980s.

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