Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw, more than five years after her government was ousted in a military coup. A member of her legal team confirmed the move on Thursday night, saying the team planned to meet her on Sunday to discuss her position and bring supplies.
Military-run MRTV reported that the remaining portion of her sentence had been commuted to be served at a designated residence, without specifying the exact location. Her son, Kim Aris, wrote on social media that his mother remained a “hostage, cut off from the world” and asked for verified proof that she was alive, as well as the ability to communicate with her and see her free.
At the United Nations, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric welcomed the commutation, describing it as “a meaningful step towards conditions conducive to credible political process.” However, campaigners accused the military of a cynical PR campaign. Burma Campaign UK said political prisoners were being used as “public relations pawns” while the military continued airstrikes targeting health facilities and civilians.
The move coincided with a wider prisoner amnesty marking a Buddhist religious holiday, which reduced Suu Kyi's sentence by one-sixth, bringing it to 18 years. She had originally been sentenced to 33 years on charges widely condemned as politically motivated, including treason and corruption. The military general who led the 2021 coup, Min Aung Hlaing, was appointed president last month following elections widely dismissed as a sham.
Suu Kyi, 80, has been detained since the coup, which plunged the country into conflict. Her son has repeatedly warned of her deteriorating health, and lawyers have said she “has lived through hell in the Burmese prisons for over five years.” Under a previous junta, she spent 15 years under house arrest and became one of the world's most famous political prisoners.
