Detained Aung San Suu Kyi meets Red Cross delegate in Myanmar

The military deposed Suu Kyi in February 2021, jailing the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and triggering an ongoing civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people, according to monitor ACLED. The coup leader and former junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, was installed as civilian president in April following highly restricted elections. Analysts say the vote — which did not include Suu Kyi’s party — was part of an effort to whitewash Min Aung Hlaing’s rule.

Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, welcomed her meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), describing it on Monday as “an important first step” that brought hope. Kim Aris, a British national, has sought independently verified proof that his mother is alive after she was transferred from prison to house arrest in April following Min Aung Hlaing’s change in position. An ICRC spokesperson told AFP that its resident representative to Myanmar, Arnaud de Baecque, visited Suu Kyi on Monday.

The visit included the opportunity to speak with Suu Kyi “in private”, the ICRC said in a statement. The Myanmar president’s office earlier announced the meeting, releasing photos of Suu Kyi shaking hands and sitting with de Baecque. The ICRC spokesperson confirmed the veracity of the two images, and said the group did not take them. Suu Kyi, now 81, was moved to house arrest after Min Aung Hlaing said he had commuted the rest of her sentence.