Aung San Suu Kyi released from prison to house arrest

Myanmar's democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been removed from prison and placed under house arrest in a special residence, the country's national broadcaster reported on Thursday.

Legal experts indicate that her prison sentence has now been further reduced to approximately 17 years. This situation has arisen after the recently formed new government announced its decision to reduce the sentences of all prisoners by one-sixth.

80-year-old Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was overthrown in a military coup in 2021 and imprisoned on various charges, including corruption. However, her supporters and international observers believe that the imprisonment of this civilian leader, elected by the people, was purely politically motivated. By the end of 2022, she had been sentenced to 33 years in prison, but her sentence was reduced on several occasions. Accordingly, it is believed that under the amnesty program announced on April 17, her sentence was reduced to approximately 20 years.

The Myanmar military government, led by former military chief Min Aung Hlaing, again announced an amnesty for prisoners on Thursday, following a large-scale amnesty on April 17. Under this latest amnesty program, the government will release a total of 1,519 prisoners, including 1,508 Myanmar nationals and 11 foreigners.