Myanmar’s ousted president U Win Myint, who was forced from office along with the civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by the military in a 2021 coup, was freed from prison on Friday after serving more than five years.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, 80, who was also arrested at the time of the coup, had her 27-year sentence reduced by four-and-a-half years on Friday, but she remained in detention.
In all, more than 4,300 prisoners were granted amnesty to mark Myanmar’s New Year, which is celebrated on April 17. The release of prisoners is an annual tradition, but typically only a small percentage are political prisoners.
The release of Mr. Win Myint, 74, from Taungoo prison in central Myanmar comes a week after the country’s powerful military leader, former Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, was sworn in as president as part of a stage-managed campaign to win international legitimacy for the ruling junta.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks the country’s detainees, says it has verified that more than 14,200 political prisoners are in custody, and it estimates that the country holds more than 22,000 in all.
Mr. Win Myint is a longtime ally of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who chose him for the largely ceremonial post of president in 2018. The country’s military-drafted Constitution barred her from serving as president because she had been married to a foreigner.
Mr. Win Myint was serving a nine-and-a-half year sentence for inciting public opposition to the military, for corruption and for violating Covid-19 protocols.
During his trial, he testified that on the day of the coup, military officials urged him to resign on health grounds. But he refused, he told the court, saying, “I cannot resign. I would rather die.”
Under the amnesty, his convictions remain in place, and he could be imprisoned again if he violates any of the terms of his release.
Two years ago, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi and Mr. Win Myint were removed from a prison in the capital, Naypyidaw, to an undisclosed location because temperatures at the prison had soared to nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kim Aris, the younger son of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, said it was unclear where his mother was now being held. In a statement last month, he called on Mr. Min Aung Hlaing to provide “immediate proof of life for my mother” and urged world leaders not to “legitimize this ruthless authoritarian regime.”
Mr. Min Aung Hlaing, who served as the armed forces’ commander in chief for 15 years before stepping down last month, was long believed to covet the presidency.
In December and January, the junta held elections in military-controlled areas and banned opposition parties from participating. The result was a rubber-stamp Parliament dominated by supporters of the military, which elected Mr. Min Aung Hlaing president earlier this month.
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