Myanmar’s newly appointed president, Min Aung Hlaing, announced on Friday that he would release 4,335 prisoners to mark the first day of the Burmese New Year.  

While the mass amnesty was expected to include political prisoners from across the country, the gesture remains largely unverified even days later. 

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a group that has tracked junta-caused deaths and imprisonments since the military takeover in 2021, reports that only 105 identified political prisoners from 17 prisons have been confirmed released as of Monday afternoon local time. An additional 38 prisoners whose identities have not been confirmed were reportedly released, leaving nearly 97% of the purported 4,335 prisoners still behind bars, according to available data. 

AAPP reports that 22,131 prisoners remain detained as of Monday. The number of verified civilian deaths since the coup stands at 7,974, with roughly 4,700 additional deaths yet to be confirmed. 

AAPP and other news sources report that the junta’s longstanding practice of bombing civilian targets continued despite the New Year festivities, killing at least 20 people in attacks that included religious sites and village homes. 

According to state-run media, some death sentences were reduced to life imprisonment, prison terms shorter than 40 years were reduced by one-sixth, and imprisoned democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence was reduced by four and a half years. 

In addition to concerns that the mass releases may not be fully implemented, critics describe Min Aung Hlaing’s announcement as a thin attempt to soften his image following his recent transition from supreme military leader to politician. 

Long History of Violent Persecution 

Myanmar’s military has battled its civilian population for more than 78 years — the longest ongoing civil war in the world. 

Myanmar’s current parliament is controlled by a coalition of parties loyal to the military, as well as by the military itself, which occupies a constitutionally mandated 25% of the seats. Together with its allies, the military controls nearly 90% of seats across the bicameral legislature. 

Min Aung Hlaing and the new parliament came to power on the heels of an election widely criticized as unfair. The main opposition parties were excluded, and polling was effectively impossible in areas outside the military’s control. 

Earlier this year, the Tatmadaw bombed a predominantly Mennonite Christian village, drawing international condemnation. This strike was not an anomaly — according to the Myanmar Peace Monitor, the Tatmadaw struck more than 1,000 civilian locations during a recent 15-month period. 

In March 2025, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report criticizing the Tatmadaw for its systematic repression of religious minorities and urging the international community to increase attention to those persecuted in Myanmar. 

“The country has seen the displacement of over 3.5 million people in recent years,” the USCIRF report noted, “including more than 90,000 in Christian-majority Chin State, 237,200 in Kachin state, and one million Muslim-majority Rohingya refugees.” 

In a March 2026 report, USCIRF again highlighted the Tatmadaw’s egregious attacks on religious minorities of all kinds, including Christians. “Churches,” the report noted, “particularly those in Christian-majority areas, continued to endure airstrikes and torching.” 

Vulnerable Religious Communities 

Though a large majority of the population is ethnic Burman, and an even greater percentage is Buddhist, the communities that make up the remainder are well-established, organized, and, for the most part, predate the formation of the modern state by centuries. 

In many cases, Myanmar’s ethnic minorities have also taken on distinct religious identities. About 20% to 30% of ethnic Karen are Christian, while other groups — such as the Chin — are more than 90% Christian. This overlap of ethnic and religious identity has created a particularly volatile situation for believers. 

Representing an extremist interpretation of Buddhism, the Burmese military has a long history of violence against the people of Myanmar, including ethnic and religious minorities such as the Muslim-majority Rohingya and the Christian-majority Chin. 

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