NAYPYITAW — Myanmar's military government has moved detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi from prison to house arrest and reduced her sentence by one-sixth as part of a prisoner amnesty marking a Buddhist holiday. The military information office and state television disclosed the transfer and shared a photograph of her on Thursday night.

The amnesty covered 1,519 prisoners, including 11 foreign nationals. The reduction lowered her sentence from 33 years, handed down in late 2022, to 18 years, leaving more than 13 years to serve. The government announcement said that by law she will now serve the remainder of her sentence at a specific home rather than in prison.

The government statement said the amnesty was "Made to celebrate Buddha Day, to show humanitarian concern, and to demonstrate the state's benevolence and goodwill." The order to include Aung San Suu Kyi in the amnesty and transfer her came from President Min Aung Hlaing, who was sworn in on April 10 following a general election. In his inauguration speech, Min Aung Hlaing said his government would grant amnesties to promote social reconciliation, justice and peace.

Thursday's amnesty was the second in recent weeks to apply to Aung San Suu Kyi. A separate amnesty nearly two weeks earlier freed ousted President Win Myint, who was arrested on the same day as Aung San Suu Kyi.

A photograph released with the announcement shows her dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt, seated on a wooden bench behind a low table facing two uniformed men, one from the police and one from the military. It was not clear when and where the photograph was taken. She has not been seen publicly since her detention on February 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government, and the last official photo of her was taken during a court appearance on May 24, 2021. Her legal team has not been allowed to meet her in person since December 2022.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called her transfer "a meaningful step toward conditions conducive to a credible political process" and called for all political prisoners to be released as a fundamental step toward a political process and solution that "must be based on an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue."

"Moving Aung San Suu Kyi isn't about change or reform, it's about public relations designed to preserve military rule," said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 22,047 people have been detained for political reasons since the army takeover, which triggered public resistance and a civil war that has killed thousands.