Jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, shared on Thursday that he had spoken to his 81-year-old mother for the first time since she was first detained during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, but did not disclose when the conversation took place or elaborate on what they discussed during the phone call.
“Today, I was finally able to speak with my mother, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than five years. Hearing her voice again means more than words can express. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has stood by my mother and me. I believe your voices helped make this moment possible,” Aris posted to social media on Oct. 22.”
Aris highlighted that one conversation is not regular family access and that Aung San Suu Kyi must never be used as a hostage or a bargaining chip to secure diplomatic recognition, sanctions relief, or political advantage, and urged the international community not to trade human rights to gain access to the regime in Naypyidaw.
This development follows the regime’s release of rare photos of Aung San Suu Kyi receiving official correspondence from Britain’s King Charles on Oct. 19.
The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner and a co-founder of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, Aung San Suu Kyi is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence and was reportedly transferred from prison to house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw on April 30, which hasn’t been independently verified.
Aris launched a renewed campaign called “Free Her” on Sept. 7 which urges the regime to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi from detention, along with 15,088 other political prisoners in Myanmar.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)—an advocacy group for political prisoners’ rights—publishes daily updates on the number of citizens arrested for opposing the coup since 2021.
The Myanmar military, under Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, staged a coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected NLD government and jailed her along with President Win Myint on Feb. 1, 2021.
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