Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi moved from prison to house arrest

BANGKOK — Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from prison to house arrest, state television announced Thursday night.

The news was also released in a short text message to journalists from the government's Military Information Team.

It accompanied a photo showing the 80-year-old Suu Kyi sitting on a wooden bench in a skirt and traditional white blouse. She is sitting behind a low table facing two unidentified men, one in a police uniform and the other wearing another kind of uniform.

Suu Kyi has been in detention since Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then, and the last official photo showing her was released on May 24, 2021, showing her in court.

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.

The message announcing her transfer says she was moved from the main prison in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw to house arrest, with the action taken "made to celebrate Buddha Day, to show humanitarian concern, and to demonstrate the kindness of the state."

Myanmar's military-backed government shortened her prison sentence earlier on Thursday, a move that came as part of a prisoner pardon tied to the religious holiday, according to legal officials and reports in state media.

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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, she 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.

Information about Suu Kyi's 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.