Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi meets Red Cross official, government says

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 spokeswoman for the Myanmar government. The meeting in the capital, Naypyitaw, marks the first known public engagement for the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner since her detention in February 2021, when the military seized power.

Concerns have been mounting over Aung San Suu Kyi's health and whereabouts. Since the coup, her exact condition and location have been difficult to ascertain, with no foreign leader or envoy having publicly met her. The government spokeswoman, Khine Khine Soe, shared the news via Telegram, identifying the ICRC representative as Arnaud de Baecque, the organization's Resident Representative and Head of Delegation to Myanmar.

The Myanmar government released four photographs of the meeting. In two images, Aung San Suu Kyi, dressed in traditional Burmese attire, is seen with de Baecque in a sparsely furnished room. Another photo appears to offer a glimpse inside her residence, showing her cutting a birthday cake inscribed with "Happy Birthday Aunty Suu 29.6.2026." A fourth image is a close-up of the cake. Reuters stated it could not independently verify the location or date of the photographs, nor did it find earlier online versions.

Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving a 27-year sentence after convictions on multiple charges that her allies maintain are politically motivated. In late April, following a military-orchestrated election that installed Min Aung Hlaing as leader, authorities announced she had been moved to house arrest. Her sentence was also reduced by one-sixth as part of a broader amnesty for thousands of prisoners.