UN Envoy Calls for Release of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi on 81st Birthday

The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar has renewed calls for the immediate release of the nation's former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as she marked her 81st birthday in detention.

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I have repeatedly raised with Naypyidaw the predicament of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who was re-elected in November 2020 but condemned to a harsh and punitive detention after the military takeover.

Julie Bishop informed UN member states that she has repeatedly raised Aung San Suu Kyi's situation with Myanmar's military leadership. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was re-elected in November 2020, has been held in harsh detention following the military takeover in 2021. Bishop noted the lack of independent reports on Suu Kyi's well-being for years and urged global solidarity in demanding her release.

"In the eyes of many, there can be no progress to peace while ... State Counsellor Daw Suu is held prisoner," Bishop stated. Daw is an honorific, and State Counsellor was her official title before the 2021 coup against her elected government. The junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, announced in April that Suu Kyi, who has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison, would be placed under house arrest.

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There have been no independent verifiable reports of her circumstances for years. Today, on her 81st birthday, I urge others to join with me in calling for her release.

However, Aung San Suu Kyi's exact whereabouts and condition remain uncertain. Her son, Kim Aris, has publicly demanded that Myanmar's military rulers provide proof that his mother is alive, highlighting the ongoing concerns about her welfare and the lack of transparency surrounding her detention.

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in the eyes of many, there can be no progress to peace while ... State Counsellor Daw Suu is held prisoner.