She has been imprisoned since the 2021 military coup. Former head of the Burmese government Aung San Suu Kyi was taken out of her cell and transferred to a house, an official source announced on Wednesday. She did not specify whether it was placement under house arrest or a reduction in her sentence, but according to junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, 78 years old, must “receive care due to the heatwave”.
At the end of December 2022, Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in prison for a series of charges, including corruption, possession of illegal walkie-talkies and failure to comply with Covid restrictions. These accusations are considered unfounded by human rights groups. The party she founded, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won the 2020 elections handily, but the army used accusations that millions of irregular ballots were discovered during the vote. uncorroborated by international observers, to take power.
“Good morale”
His sentence was then reduced by six years in August 2023, bringing it down to 27 years. This figure of democracy in Burma has only been seen once since she was arrested after the putsch of February 1, 2021, in poor quality photos taken by state media in a meeting room. hearing of a court in Naypyidaw, the capital built in the jungle by the army.
Imprisoned, she maintains “good morale,” her son Kim Aris said on February 6, who had received the first letter from his mother in three years at the beginning of January. This constituted the “first real indication that I received (…) that she was still alive,” his son assured him by telephone from London, where he lives. “She sent her love to the whole family,” he continued, explaining that his mother thanked him for a support package he had sent at the end of the year.
During the time of the legal proceedings, local media reported that the "Lady of Rangoon" suffered from dizziness and vomiting, and was at times unable to eat due to a dental infection. The NLD accused the junta in September 2023 of endangering the life of Aung San Suu Kyi by refusing her the medical care she needs. She continues to suffer from dental problems, according to Kim Aris, who included medicine and vitamin-rich food in the package sent to her mother.
VIDEO. Coup d'état in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi arrested
At the same time, the ruling junta announced this Wednesday the amnesty of 3,300 prisoners on the occasion of the Burmese New Year. The other prisoners benefit from a reduction of one-sixth of their sentence, except those convicted of murder, terrorism and drug trafficking, the press release specifies.