Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved to a prison and is being kept in solitary confinement, a junta spokesperson said on Thursday.
“By the law, it’s confirmed that [Suu Kyi] has been moved to the prison. And she’s been kept at separate confinement well,” Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun said in a statement.
Since the military seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021, Suu Kyi has been kept under house arrest at an undisclosed location in the purpose-built capital Naypyidaw.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who turned 77 on Sunday, has been charged with at least 20 criminal offenses that carry potential combined maximum jail terms of more than 100 years.
They include multiple counts of corruption and violations of electoral and state secrets laws. She denies all charges.
Suu Kyi’s transfer comes after Myanmar’s military rulers ordered all legal proceedings against her to be moved from a courtroom to a prison, a source familiar with her cases told Reuters on Wednesday.
The source, who declined to be identified due to sensitivities over the trial, said hearings would be shifted to a new special court in Naypyidaw’s prison.
“It is declared by the judge that a new building for the court is complete,” the source told Reuters.
Suu Kyi’s marathon court proceedings take place behind closed doors with only limited information reported by state media. A gag order has been imposed on her lawyers, whose only access to her is on trial days.
It is not clear how much Suu Kyi knows of the crisis in her country, which has been in chaos since the coup, with the military struggling to consolidate power and facing increasing resistance from militia groups.
Western countries have called the convictions a sham and demanded Suu Kyi’s release. The military says she is being given due process by an independent judiciary.
CNN’s Helen Regan and Hannah Ritchie contributed reporting.