Aung San Suu Kyi remains in total isolation under house arrest
The pro-democracy leader has no direct access to her family or lawyers, even after she was moved to a specially built residence. Myanmar’s opposition and human rights groups are calling it yet another sham operation by General Min Aung Hlaing to gain international legitimacy. In the new house, she reportedly met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi a few days ago during his visit to Myanmar.
Naypyidaw (AsiaNews) – Aung San Suu Kyi has been moved from Naypyidaw Prison to a specially built guarded residence in the capital, effectively maintaining the conditions of isolation she has been in since 2021, informed sources told the opposition newspaper The Irrawaddy, which is close to the Myanmar diaspora.
The transfer reportedly took place hastily on 16 April, nine days before the military junta announced that the pro-democracy leader had been "allowed to serve the rest of her prison term in a designated residence."
The building, surrounded by high fences, is reportedly located in a neighbourhood reserved for military families. It appears to have been constructed in a rush, to the point that the former state counsellor reportedly complained about the smell of fresh paint.
Arrested in the February 2021 coup, Suu Kyi, now 80, was initially sentenced to 35 years in prison on a series of politically motivated charges.
Despite recent sentence reductions announced by General Min Aung Hlaing (elected president in sham elections held in December 2025 and January 2026), she still has some 13 years to serve.
Despite the transfer, contact with the outside world remains extremely limited. Her lawyers have not been able to meet her in person since December 2022 and, according to sources familiar with the case, they can only send her packages every Sunday, which are handed over the following day.
The legal team itself has denied reports that they met her recently. “We haven’t asked [the regime] to meet her after she was moved to house arrest," said a lawyer from her four-member legal team, who spoke to the Democratic Voice of Burma on the condition of anonymity.
Sources told The Irrawaddy that, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Aung San Suu Kyi on 25 April at the new residence, in the presence of junta officials. The visit was never officially confirmed and the parties were reportedly prohibited from taking notes or making recordings.
China has supported the military-led election, which was held only in the areas of the country under military control. Recently, in response to a question about Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the leader "is an old friend of China."
Her transfer also reportedly occurred one day before the release of former President Win Myint, who was freed on 17 April under an amnesty for Thingyan, the Myanmar New Year.
For their part, opposition groups continue to reiterate that these decisions do not make much difference. Aung San Suu Kyi remains isolated, without direct contact with the outside world and under the full control of the military authorities.
Her party, the National League for Democracy, dissolved by the junta in 2023, condemned the transfer, saying that it "is not a positive political step, but merely a deception" and a "performative act" by General Min Aung Hlaing to strengthen his international legitimacy.
Similar concerns have been raised by her son, Kim Aris, who recently launched a campaign to obtain proof that his mother was still alive. “Moving her is not freeing her. She remains a hostage," he noted.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an organisation that monitors the incarceration and killing of civilians in Myanmar, also stressed that the transfer appears to be aimed at appeasing growing public concern, without changing the substance of the detention.
"The only certain fact is that she is still detained," said AAPP Joint Secretary Ko Bo Kyi.
Meanwhile, at the international level, the European Union has called for full respect of the pro-democracy leader's physical and mental well-being and regular access to her family and lawyers.
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04/05/2021 16:15
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