Detained Myanmar leader met by Red Cross for first contact since ousting of gov't in coup

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday, according to a Myanmar government spokeswoman. This encounter is significant as it marks the first known contact with the outside world for the Nobel Peace Prize winner since her detention in February 2021.

Suu Kyi, 81, has been held since the military ousted her elected civilian government in a dawn coup, an event that plunged the impoverished Southeast Asian nation into turmoil. Her exact whereabouts and health conditions have been difficult to ascertain, with no foreign leaders or envoys publicly meeting her until this ICRC visit.

The meeting took place in the capital, Naypyidaw, with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC's Resident Representative to Myanmar. Photographs released by the government spokeswoman showed Suu Kyi in traditional Burmese attire meeting with Baecque in a sparsely furnished room. One image offered a rare glimpse inside what appeared to be her residence, showing her cutting a birthday cake inscribed with her name and the date "29.6.2026."

Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year sentence after convictions on multiple charges that her allies describe as politically motivated. In late April, following a military-engineered election that saw former junta leader Min Aung Hlaing become president, authorities moved Suu Kyi to house arrest. Her sentence was also commuted by one-sixth as part of a broader prisoner amnesty.

“

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Myanmar government said.