Detention update: Aung San Suu Kyi reports good health in five-year isolation

Aung San Suu Kyi is in good physical and mental condition but remains in near-total isolation, according to her son, Kim Aris.

Aris spoke to the 81-year-old former state counsellor on Thursday, marking their first conversation in more than five years. The call took place at the Myanmar embassy in London. Aris said his mother sounded mentally sharp and physically strong. He stated he does not believe she has anyone around her other than military or police personnel. This suggests she has been held in solitary confinement for the duration of her detention.

The former leader was deposed in a military coup in 2021. She was subsequently moved to an unspecified location in the capital, Naypyidaw. Aris believes she is held in a fenced-off residence with scrubby land surrounding it. He confirmed he is still unsure of the exact site but described the environment as restrictive. The military has granted him limited access to communicate with her, which he characterized as part of a public relations effort by the country's leaders.

Former junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has sought to rebuild diplomatic ties abroad. In April, he switched from military fatigues to civilian clothes following elections that observers widely condemned as a sham. The government recently released images of Suu Kyi smiling in a wood-paneled room. Officials handed her two gardening books as gifts from Britain's King Charles during that visit. A paper calendar on the wall displayed the date. Aris described such photo opportunities as familiar stunts the regime uses to suggest fair treatment.

Aris said his mother is completely shut off from the outside world. She is not permitted access to newspapers, radio, or television. He stated she has been locked up for five years on politically motivated charges and argued she should be free. He noted that activists have long demanded proof of life for her and other political prisoners. A Red Cross visit in August provided photographic evidence of her condition prior to the recent government releases.

Suu Kyi led Myanmar's democratic government after her party won the 2015 election overwhelmingly. Her international standing suffered after the mass killings and expulsions of Rohingya Muslims in 2016 and 2017. At the International Court of Justice, she acknowledged that military units might have used disproportionate force while defending the government against genocide accusations. Aris said his mother was never silent on the crisis and that her comments on the issue could fill volumes.

He noted that she appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to lead a domestic inquiry into the Rohingya situation. Aris described her tenure as walking on a tightrope, knowing the military could remove her fragile power at any time. The 2021 takeover triggered a civil war that conflict monitors say has killed more than 100,000 people. Aris said global public support for his mother has dwindled since the Rohingya crisis. He argued that the country's current lack of international attention should not be attributed to the past handling of that crisis.