YANGON, Myanmar Former Information Minister U Ye Htut came out of Insein Prison on Sunday after the Military Commission gave him amnesty to celebrate the 78th Independence Day of Myanmar.
U Ye Htut, the former presidential spokesperson under the former President U Thein Sein, was released and went back to his house at Yangon. His release was included in a larger amnesty common to the national holiday of Jan. 4.
The ex-minister was arrested on 27 October 2023 at his home in Yangon. He later received the total sentence of 10 years imprisonment: three years under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code, the offense of incitement and seven years under Section 124 (a), the offense of sedition.
The case against U Ye Htut was mainly due to the fact that he actively posted on social media. He became a subtle but visible critic of the existing leadership of the military on Facebook after the 2021 military takeover.
Reports were near the case when he was arrested soon after sharing an article published in 2019 about U.S Admiral Mike Boorda, who committed suicide to accept the blame of a case related to his service medals. The internet post was broadly perceived as an implicit criticism of the leadership accountability and integrity of the Myanmar military leadership.
When he was arrested, the military forces assured that he was under investigation due to publishing fake news and misinformation to cause panic among people.
The release of U Ye Htut is preceded by a number of amnesties declared by the Military Commission over the past several months as it gets ready to enter the final stages of a national election. Although thousands of inmates are usually released on such holidays, it is not clear how many political prisoners were part of the current order.
Be First to Comment