Myanmar: Ousted leader Suu Kyi makes rare appearance with Red Cross representative

Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with an International Committee of the Red Cross representative on August 3, 2026, in one of the only publicly confirmed contacts between her and an outside party since the 2021 military coup that ousted her government. The meeting took place in the capital Naypyitaw with ICRC resident representative Arnaud de Baecque, and Myanmar's military-backed government released four photographs, including two showing the handshake and meeting and two showing her cutting a birthday cake inscribed to her, apparently around her June birthday. Suu Kyi, 81, has had no confirmed public sightings since her 2021 detention and is serving a 27-year sentence; authorities said in late April her sentence was commuted by one-sixth and she was moved from prison to house arrest, though a May request from the Philippines on behalf of ASEAN for a special envoy to visit her was denied. Her son, Kim Aris, has led an online campaign demanding proof his mother is alive and in good health.