Two and a half years ago, the military junta in Myanmar overthrew the democratically elected government. The de facto Prime Minister at the time, Aung San Suu Kyi, was locked away. Among other things, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner was accused of corruption.
Suu Kyi has since disappeared from the scene. With their partial pardon, the military now wants to set an example, reports ARD correspondent Jennifer Johnston. And yet it continues to try to nip any opposition in the bud.
SRF News: The military junta had sentenced Suu Kyi to more than 30 years in prison. Now she is “partially pardoned”. What does that mean?
Jennifer Johnston: Suu Kyi has been pardoned in five out of 19 counts she was found guilty of. This freed her from six out of 33 years in prison. The bottom line is that there are still 27 years in prison – and that for a 78-year-old woman. The only good news is that Suu Kyi has been released from solitary confinement and placed on a form of house arrest. However, not in their private rooms as they used to, but in a government building.
Do you have any information about Suu Kyi’s health?
There were always rumors that she was supposed to be sick. However, the prison administration denied this a few days ago and announced that she was fine. It’s hard to judge whether that’s the case, since Suu Kyi has been cut off from the outside world for two and a half years. Apart from her lawyers, no one had contact with her – and they were muzzled.
The military justifies the partial pardon for Suu Kyi with the fact that today is a major Buddhist holiday. As part of this holiday, it is customary for prisoners to be released by the thousands. Political prisoners have also been released time and again in recent months. This case of pardon is of course very sensational: it is intended to send a strong signal to the international community.
What does the military junta in Myanmar hope to get from this signal?
She wants to show that there could be a political solution to the conflict. In addition, the military wants to distract from the difficult situation in the country. Because it is currently in civil war.
Legend:
Military parade in Myanmar, March 2023.
Keystone/AP/Aung Shine Oo
On Monday, the junta extended the state of emergency for another six months. The generals emphasized that this was necessary due to the unstable situation in the Southeast Asian country. The state of emergency was first declared after the coup and has been extended again and again since then.
Since the coup, the former Burma has descended into chaos and violence. The junta uses brutal force to suppress resistance. Internationally, Myanmar is almost completely isolated. Junta members are not allowed to attend meetings of the Southeast Asian community of states, ASEAN.
The military junta is said to continue to rule with brute force. What do you hear about the situation in Myanmar?
Violence has increased sharply since the beginning of the year. The military junta has carried out heavy airstrikes, including at the opening of an opposition office. Many people died as a result. Again and again entire villages are burned down; many civilians are killed in the attacks.
Legend:
The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner was surprisingly transferred from prison to a government building last week. Before that, for more than two years, there had been almost no information about their exact conditions and condition.
Keystone/EPA/Diego Azubal
There are also regular reports of whole families disappearing from their homes overnight because one of the family members has joined the opposition. Such collective punishments should have a deterrent effect: no one should oppose the military. For many people, however, this has only fueled more anger and they have taken up arms themselves. A spiral of violence has set in motion in the country.
The military extended Myanmar’s state of emergency by a further six months on Monday. Against this background, how does Suu Kyi’s partial pardon go?
It is possible that after the extension of the state of emergency, the military will want to show that it is moving. However, full power should remain with the military. So nothing changes for now. And there will be no elections in the next six months that the population was actually promised for this month.