Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved to house arrest, military says
She was arrested five years ago following a military coup.
Former Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since February 2021, has been moved from prison to house arrest, state media reported, citing the military, writes BBC.
80-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi had been held — likely in a military prison in the capital Naypyidaw — since her overthrow in a military coup that occurred five years ago.
A statement from military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, who spearheaded the coup, said he had "commuted her remaining prison sentence to serving her punishment at a designated place of residence."
Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in 2015 after Myanmar's then-rulers implemented democratic reforms. Before this, she gained global prominence as an activist and democracy advocate, spending more than 15 years under house arrest.
Myanmar's state media showed a photograph of her sitting surrounded by two uniformed military personnel. It is unclear when the picture was taken.
Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers welcomed the decision to move her to house arrest.
"Aung San Suu Kyi has endured hell in Burmese prisons for over five years. We welcome the change in her situation, while simultaneously emphasizing that she remains unjustly deprived of liberty," reads a statement by François Zimeray and Catalina de la Sota, quoted by AFP.
Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi's son, Kim Aris, stated that he is skeptical of the military's announcement and has no proof that she is alive. According to him, the published photograph of his mother was taken in 2022.
"I hope it's true. I still haven't seen any real proof that she has been moved [to house arrest]," he told the BBC. "So, until I'm allowed to speak with her or someone can independently confirm her condition and whereabouts, I won't believe anything."
Until recently, nothing was known about Aung San Suu Kyi's health or conditions of detention, and Kim Aris said in December that there had been no news from his mother for many years.
Her lawyers had not seen her for over three years; her family reportedly had no contact with her for more than two years.
The only image of her visible until Thursday was taken during a court hearing in May 2021, at the beginning of a series of trials initiated by the military on charges that Aung San Suu Kyi denied.
Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing seeks to bring his regime out of international isolation, and the sudden appearance of news about Aung San Suu Kyi in state media suggests that the military authorities may be preparing for further changes in her status, including her release.
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