FILE PHOTO: Protesters hold up a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi as they shout slogans during a demonstration to mark the third anniversary of Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, outside of the United Nations office in Bangkok, Thailand, February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo
(Reuters) -Myanmar's junta will pardon or drop charges against a total of 8,665 people, state media reported on Thursday, allowing them to vote in an upcoming election that Western countries and human rights groups have dismissed as a sham.
The order includes the reduction of sentences for 3,085 people convicted under section 505A of the penal code, which criminalises comments that could cause fear or spread fake news.
Charges against another 5,580 people still at large have also been dropped.
It was not immediately clear how many of those covered are political detainees, or when the releases would occur.
Speaking on Wednesday before the amnesty was formally announced, Myanmar military government spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said the measures were designed to help all eligible voters cast their ballots "freely and fairly" in the upcoming polls.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 military coup overthrew the civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention ever since. Nationwide protests against the coup grew into an armed resistance in alliance with ethnic militias.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights group, more than 30,000 people have been detained on political charges since the coup.
The military government is set to hold the election over several phases in December and January. But with many opposition parties either banned from taking part or boycotting it, it has been dismissed by some western countries and human rights groups as a sham designed to consolidate military rule.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that it will end temporary legal status for Myanmar citizens in the United States, claiming they can now safely return to the war-torn country, citing the junta's planned elections as a sign of improving conditions.
Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said on Wednesday that the U.S. announcement was a positive sign and citizens abroad were welcome to return to take part in the vote.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by David Stanway)
