Aung San Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old former leader of Myanmar, has been transferred from the main prison in Naypyitaw to house arrest, state television announced Thursday night. The government's Military Information Team released the news alongside a photograph showing Suu Kyi seated on a wooden bench in traditional dress, positioned across from two unidentified officials. The move came as part of an amnesty granted to 1,519 prisoners to mark the Full Moon day of Kason, observed as Buddha's Birthday and Demise.
Suu Kyi has remained in detention since the military seized power on February 1, 2021, removing her elected government from office. She had not been seen publicly since her arrest, with the last official photograph released in May 2021 showing her in court. The government said the transfer to house arrest was made "to celebrate Buddha Day, to show humanitarian concern, and to demonstrate the kindness of the state." It stated she would now serve the remainder of her sentence at a designated home rather than in prison, though her exact location was not disclosed.
The amnesty represents the second prisoner pardon in two weeks. On April 17, more than 4,500 prisoners received pardons as sentences of less than 40 years were reduced by one-sixth. Two legal officials, speaking anonymously, indicated Thursday's measure would further reduce Suu Kyi's sentence by one-sixth. Based on previous reductions, she is expected to have more than 13 years remaining on her sentence.
Suu Kyi was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison in late 2022 on charges her supporters and international rights groups characterized as politically motivated attempts to discredit her and legitimize the military takeover. Her sentence was reduced to 27 years in August 2023. The amnesties follow the April 10 swearing-in of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as president. In his inauguration speech, he pledged amnesties aimed at promoting social reconciliation, justice, and peace.
Her legal team has not been permitted to meet with her in person since December 2022. Reports in 2024 and 2025 indicated declining health, including low blood pressure, dizziness, and heart problems, though these claims could not be independently verified. The 2021 military takeover triggered widespread public resistance that was brutally suppressed, leading to a civil conflict that has killed thousands. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 22,047 people have been detained in Myanmar since the army takeover. Suu Kyi, daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest as a political prisoner between 1989 and 2010 before her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize win.
