Son of Myanmar's ousted leader appeals to Macron for help in securing proof of life

Published on 05/05/2026 - 19:25 GMT+2

The lad of Myanmar's ousted person Aung San Suu Kyi demanded France's assistance successful seeking independently verified impervious of his mother's beingness connected Tuesday aft she was transferred to location arrest, her lawyers said.

The country's junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing ordered the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize victor to beryllium moved connected Thursday, 5 years aft putting her into detention pursuing a subject coup successful 2021.

But her son, Kim Aris, says helium has inactive not heard from his mother, who remains massively fashionable wrong Myanmar.

"I implore France to articulation my telephone truthful that we whitethorn get independently verified impervious of life, and truthful that her cardinal rights are guaranteed: due aesculapian care, entree to her lawyers and to her family," helium wrote successful a missive addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Suu Kyi's lawyer, Francois Zimeray, said that Aris handed the missive to France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot astatine a gathering connected Tuesday.

"We person had nary impervious of life, nary photos for years, not adjacent immoderate denotation that she was really transferred. We inactive don't cognize wherever she is," helium told the AFP quality agency.

The bureau of Min Aung Hlaing connected Thursday shared an undated photograph appearing to amusement Suu Kyi sitting flanked by 2 men successful uniform.

"But we don't cognize if it's existent oregon if it's AI," Zimeray said.

Lawyer Catalina de la Sota, besides representing Suu Kyi, added: "We cannot ideate that she is nary longer alive, but wherefore is she being kept successful full secrecy, successful usurpation of each planetary conventions? We are disquieted astir her health."

During the meeting, Barrot said "France would proceed to enactment for the contiguous and unconditional merchandise of Aung San Suu Kyi," the overseas ministry said.

The military's 2021 takeover prompted wide nationalist protests, whose convulsive suppression by information forces triggered an equipped absorption that has present led to a authorities of civilian war.

Ethnic number militias and people’s defence forces that enactment Myanmar’s main absorption power ample parts of the country, portion the subject holds overmuch of cardinal Myanmar and large cities including the capital, Naypyidaw.

The UN Human Rights Office said the subject ramped up unit against civilians successful 2024 to unprecedented levels, inflicting the heaviest civilian decease toll since the service takeover arsenic its grip connected powerfulness eroded.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which keeps elaborate tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the repression of the subject government, said past twelvemonth that astatine slightest 6,239 radical had been killed and 28,444 arrested since the coup.

The existent decease toll is apt to beryllium overmuch higher since the radical does not mostly see deaths connected the broadside of the subject authorities and cannot easy verify cases successful distant areas.

Millions much person been displaced successful the southeast Asian state of astir 50 million.