BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-backed government shortened the prison sentence of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday, a move that came as part of a prisoner pardon tied to a Buddhist religious holiday, according to legal officials and reports in state media.
The amnesty is the second in two weeks, following an earlier one on April 17 when more than 4,500 prisoners were granted amnesty. It was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule in Myanmar were included in Thursday’s amnesty.
Two legal officials, who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities, said Thursday’s measure would further reduce Suu Kyi’s sentence by one-sixth, but did not specify the exact remaining term. Based on previous reductions, the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is expected to have more than 13 years left to serve.
State media said Thursday that in addition to the amnesty granted to 1,519 prisoners, including 11 foreigners, the sentences of remaining convicted prisoners were cut by one-sixth to mark the Full Moon day of “Kason,” known as Buddha’s Birthday and Demise.
The amnesties come after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office as president on April 10 following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to maintain the military’s tight grip on power.
In his inauguration speech, he said his government would grant amnesties aimed at promoting social reconciliation, justice and peace.
Suu Kyi was arrested on Feb. 1, 2021 when the army seized power from her elected government.
She was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison in late 2022 for several offenses that her supporters and rights groups described as attempts to discredit her and legitimize the army takeover that removed her from office, as well as to prevent her return to politics.
Her term was reduced to 27 years in August 2023 and then further cut by more than four years on April 17, when prison terms of less than 40 years were cut by one-sixth.
Suu Kyi is serving the prison term at an undisclosed location in the capital Naypyitaw.
There were reports last week that she might be transferred to house arrest as part of the clemency, but there was no confirmation from the government.
Information about her condition remains tightly controlled. Reports in 2024 and 2025 indicated declining health, including low blood pressure, dizziness and heart problems, but these claims could not be independently verified. Her legal team has not been allowed to meet her in person since December 2022.
The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 22,047 people have been in detention in Myanmar since the army takeover.
Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar’s martyred independence hero Gen. Aung San, spent almost 15 years as a political prisoner under house arrest between 1989 and 2010.
Her tough stand against military rule in Myanmar turned her into a symbol of nonviolent struggle for democracy, and won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
FILE - Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice on the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, on Dec. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
BERLIN (AP) — Four teams are vying to join Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League next season and a host more are fighting for survival in the Bundesliga.
Last-placed Heidenheim could be relegated this weekend, possibly replaced by second-division leader Schalke, which can seal promotion.
There are no games on Friday as it’s May Day, traditionally a day of demonstrations and worker protests accompanied by a heavy police presence across Germany. May Day falls on a Saturday next year, when there will be no matches at all over the whole weekend because of the anticipated security requirements.
Saturday's and Sunday’s games are unaffected this year. The Women's Bundesliga is also unaffected, with Union Berlin visiting Hamburger SV on Friday. Bayern sealed the women's title as it did the men's already.
Heidenheim faces a daunting trip to Bayern on Saturday. Heidenheim boosted its hopes of avoiding the drop with wins over Union Berlin and St. Pauli this month. But a win at Bayern would be a major surprise, even if the already crowned league champion is likely to field a B team before its Champions League semifinal second leg against Paris Saint Germain next week. PSG won a pulsating first leg 5-4 on Tuesday.
Heidenheim would be relegated by a defeat in Munich if St. Pauli, currently in the relegation playoff place, beats Mainz at home on Sunday.
Schalke can clinch promotion on Saturday with a win at home over struggling Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Hoffenheim welcomes Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen hosts Leipzig for duels with Champions League qualification at stake on Saturday. Third-placed Leipzig is the best-positioned of the four teams after five straight wins for 62 points, followed by Stuttgart and Hoffenheim on 57. Leverkusen is seven points behind Leipzig with three round rounds to play.
Union Berlin hosts Cologne on Saturday with both teams just outside the relegation zone. Union is looking for its first points since Marie-Louise Eta was appointed coach.
Leverkusen 18-year-old Montrell Culbreath scored in the 3-1 win in Leipzig when the sides last met in December, and he’s likely to get another run out after appearing in each of Leverkusen’s last eight games across all competitions.
Yan Diomande has become Leipzig’s star with goal involvements in each of the team’s last three games.
Continuing the theme of youngsters breaking through, Dortmund gave 18-year-old Italian forward Samuele Inacio his first start last weekend, when 16-year-old Mathis Albert became the youngest American to play in the Bundesliga. Dortmund visits Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday.
Bayern 18-year-old Bara Sapoko Ndiaye from Senegal made his first start against Mainz last weekend and will likely get another chance in midfield against Heidenheim.
Union goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow is out for the rest of the season with a muscle injury from last weekend’s defeat in Leipzig. Carl Klaus, who made his Bundesliga debut at age 32, can look forward to three more appearances.
Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba extended his contract with the club on Wednesday through June 2031. The 27-year-old Burkina Faso mainstay joined Leverkusen in early 2020 from Portuguese team Vitória de Guimarães and has since played in 183 Bundesliga games for the club.
The German soccer league (DFL) announced on Tuesday that it entered a “strategic cooperation” with sportswear giant Adidas to boost the development of professional soccer in the country. Adidas was to give the DFL a loan of 100 million euros for investment, while it extended its deal to provide match balls for the top two divisions until 2034. The Associated Press has asked the DFL for further details.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Heidenheim's Marvin Pieringer, right, and St. Pauli's Arkadiusz Pyrka during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Heidenheim and 1. FC St. Pauli in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Bayern's head coach Vincent Kompany reacts during a Bundeliga soccer match between Mainz and Bayern in Mainz,Germany, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Hamburg's Robert Glatzel, front, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Heidenheim's head coach Frank Schmidt gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Heidenheim and 1. FC St. Pauli in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
