Yangon - Myanmar's ruling military on Tuesday, has granted a partial pardon to the jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi was pardoned on five out of the 19 offences for which she was convicted, resulting in a reduction of six years from her original 33-year jail term. Despite the pardon, she will continue to be under house arrest, as confirmed by state media and informed sources.

The decision to pardon Suu Kyi was part of a broader amnesty initiative in which over 7,000 prisoners were released across the strife-torn country. The Myanmar junta spokesperson, Zaw Min Tun, stated that former President Win Myint's jail term was also reduced by four years. However, both Suu Kyi and Win Myint will remain in detention despite the reduction in their sentences.

The 78-year-old Nobel Laureate was detained during the military coup in early 2021, which marked the beginning of violent turmoil in the nation. The military took over Suu Kyi's elected government and launched a crackdown on opponents of the military rule, leading to thousands being imprisoned or killed.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, has consistently denied all the charges for which she was convicted, including incitement, election fraud, and corruption. She has been appealing against these charges.

The recent pardons were granted for minor offences, such as breaching a natural disaster mitigation law during election campaigning, which violated COVID-19 rules.

Suu Kyi's journey in politics has been marked by challenges, having been under house arrest in 1989 following large-scale protests against military rule. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering campaign for democracy. She was eventually released from house arrest in 2010 and later swept the 2015 election. However, after the 2020 election, the military alleged election fraud and took power in early 2021, leading to an ongoing political crisis.

While the partial pardons have been seen as a "cosmetic move" by some diplomats and critics, they highlight the pressure the military is facing from both Western countries and neighboring nations in Southeast Asia. Many governments have called for the unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

In response to the pardons, a spokesman for a shadow National Unity Government formed by Suu Kyi's supporters and other opponents of the military regime deemed it a mere "political trick" aimed at appeasing international pressure. The spokesman, Kyaw Zaw, emphasized that all political prisoners must be released unconditionally, as they were arbitrarily detained.