Myanmar's military government moved Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest, the junta announced. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has remained in detention since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021, ousting her elected government.
The shift from incarceration to house arrest marks a change in her custody status but does not represent freedom. Suu Kyi, 78, faced multiple trials and convictions in military courts during her imprisonment, including charges of corruption and violating COVID-19 restrictions that critics described as politically motivated. Her detention became a symbol of the junta's crackdown on democracy advocates and civil society in Myanmar.
The military's decision to move her to house arrest comes as Myanmar grapples with widespread resistance to military rule. Since the coup, the country has experienced armed conflict, civil disobedience campaigns, and economic collapse. International pressure on the junta has mounted, with governments worldwide condemning the coup and supporting calls for Suu Kyi's release.
No details emerged about the conditions of her house arrest or whether the change signals broader policy shifts by the military government. Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, won a landslide victory in 2020 elections that the military annulled, triggering the takeover.