Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former civilian leader, is reportedly in good physical and mental condition but remains largely isolated, according to her son Kim Aris. In their first conversation in more than five years, the 81-year-old Nobel laureate sounded “strong” but is believed to be held in near-solitary confinement under military supervision, Aris said.

Suu Kyi was deposed in a military coup in 2021 and moved to an undisclosed location in the capital, Naypyidaw, where she is said to be confined within a secured compound. Aris, who resides in the United Kingdom, spoke to his mother on Thursday during a call arranged through the Myanmar embassy in London, describing the meeting as part of a “public relations” effort by the ruling military junta.

Since seizing power, the military, led by Min Aung Hlaing, has sought to rehabilitate its international standing. In April 2026, Min Aung Hlaing abandoned his military uniform and donned civilian clothing following elections widely criticized as lacking legitimacy. The regime has faced pressure to demonstrate Suu Kyi’s well-being, including organizing Red Cross visits and publicizing photographs of her receiving gifts from Britain’s King Charles, including gardening books, in settings arranged by the government.

Aris cautioned, however, that such displays are staged attempts to conceal her isolation. He said Suu Kyi is cut off from external information, denied access to newspapers, radio, or television, and remains imprisoned on politically motivated charges. “She should be free,” he said, emphasizing her continued detention under harsh circumstances.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s political career has spanned decades, marked by prolonged periods of house arrest and her leadership of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement. After decades of military rule and international sanctions, Myanmar experienced a brief democratic opening when her National League for Democracy won the 2015 election by a large margin. She subsequently assumed the role of state counsellor, navigating a complex and fragile power-sharing arrangement with the military.

Her international standing suffered a significant blow following the 2016-2017 military campaign against Rohingya Muslims, during which mass killings and forced expulsions were widely condemned as ethnic cleansing. Suu Kyi defended Myanmar before the International Court of Justice but acknowledged possible “disproportionate force” by security forces. Aris said his mother was far from silent on the Rohingya crisis and pointed to domestic actions such as the appointment of a commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan to investigate the situation.

Aris characterized his mother’s tenure as walking “on a tightrope,” with the military constantly undermining her authority. The 2021 coup ended Myanmar’s faltering democratic progress and triggered a civil conflict that has resulted in over 100,000 deaths, according to monitoring groups.

He also noted waning international attention and support for Suu Kyi and Myanmar as a whole, partly attributable to the fallout from the Rohingya crisis. “Never mind my mother, the fact that people ignore what’s happening in Burma shouldn’t be down to what was being done to the Rohingya,” Aris said, using the country’s former name to underscore ongoing suffering under the military’s rule.