Military government commutes Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence to house arrest

The 80-year-old Nobel laureate has been held in detention - probably in a military prison in the capital Nay Pyi Taw - since she was removed from office in a military coup in 2021. A statement by military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who led the coup, said he had "commuted her remaining sentence to be served at the designated residence". Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in 2015 after Myanmar's then rulers introduced democratic reforms. Before that, she spent decades of military rule as a pro-democracy activist, and was previously held for more than 15 years under house arrest. Her son Kim Aris said he was sceptical about the announcement and that he did not even have proof that she was alive. He said the picture was "meaningless" as it was taken in 2022. "I hope this is true. I still haven't seen any real evidence to show that she has been moved," he told the BBC. "So, until I'm allowed communication with her, or somebody can independently verify her condition and her whereabouts, then I won't believe anything." Prior to the announcement, nothing was known about her health or living conditions, and Kim Aris said in December he had not heard from her in years. Her legal team told Reuters they had had no direct notification about her house arrest. After the 2021 coup she was sentenced to 33 years on a range of charges which allies say were politically motivated. Since then the sentence has been reduced several times. During her earlier confinement, her dignified, non-violent resistance won her admirers across Myanmar and around the world, and she famously made speeches to supporters from her family home. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.