The son of Myanmar's imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has voiced his desperate fear that his mother may already be dead, after a total information blackout lasting more than two years.
Years of Isolation and Fading Hope
Kim Aris, a British national, stated that no one has seen or heard directly from the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate since 2023. He receives only fragmentary, second-hand reports about her condition. Ms Suu Kyi, who suffers from a series of age-related health issues including a heart condition, has been held in solitary confinement for much of her detention since the military seized power in a February 2021 coup.
"She's got ongoing health issues. Nobody has seen her in over two years. She hasn't been allowed contact with her legal team, never mind her family," Mr Aris told Reuters. "For all I know, she could be dead already." Her legal team has also been barred from meetings for the past two years.
A Campaign for Release Amidst Sham Elections
Mr Aris, who has become increasingly vocal in campaigning for his mother's release, was speaking during a visit to Japan. There, he met politicians and led a protest outside Myanmar's embassy in Tokyo, demanding Ms Suu Kyi's freedom and condemning the military junta's planned elections for 28 December.
He and critics globally dismiss the upcoming polls as a sham designed to legitimise military rule, stating they will be "neither free nor fair." However, Mr Aris acknowledged this period might create a narrow opportunity to push for improved conditions or even her release, as the junta has historically granted amnesties around significant events.
"I imagine (junta leader) Min Aung Hlaing has his own agenda when it comes to my mother," he said. "If he does want to use her to try and appease the general population... by either releasing her or moving her to house arrest, then at least that would be something."
A Legacy Marred and a Life in Detention
Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, spent around 15 years under house arrest before leading her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), to a landslide victory in 2015. The NLD won another decisive mandate in 2020, which preceded the coup.
Her international reputation was severely damaged by the 2017 Rohingya crisis, during which she defended Myanmar against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice. Mr Aris insists she was "not complicit" in the military's actions but admits her diminished global standing has made it harder to rally sustained international pressure.
Following a trial condemned as politically motivated, she was sentenced in 2022 to 33 years in prison on what rights groups call bogus charges. The military has previously dismissed concerns about her health as "fabrications," claiming she is in good condition.
Mr Aris continues his urgent appeal, warning that her detention is "cruel and life-threatening" and that she requires immediate specialist medical care which she is not receiving in captivity in the capital, Naypyidaw.
