ICRC confirms meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi amid ongoing detention

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday published its own statement confirming a visit to detained former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi — its first public comment on the meeting since Myanmar’s military-backed government revealed it earlier the same day through their media. The visit was first announced Monday morning by Myanmar’s Presidential Press and Information Bureau, which released photographs showing Suu Kyi shaking hands with ICRC resident representative Arnaud de Baecque and cutting a cake marking her 81st birthday on 19 June. The bureau did not disclose the meeting’s location or what was discussed. The ICRC had the following to say in their statement released Monday: “The visit was carried out in accordance with the ICRC’s standards and procedures for visiting people deprived of liberty. This included the opportunity to speak with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in private. “In line with the ICRC’s working methods, detention visits provide people deprived of liberty with the opportunity to exchange news with their families. “As is customary in the ICRC’s detention work, observations and recommendations related to the visit are shared exclusively and confidentially with the detaining authorities. “The ICRC continues to engage with all relevant actors to maintain and expand its access to places of detention in Myanmar.” Aung San Suu Kyi, 81, has been detained since the 2021 coup that ousted her government and is currently serving a sentence reduced to 27 years, with roughly 18 years left to serve after an April reduction — convictions her allies call politically motivated. The ICRC’s confirmation comes days before junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who declared himself “president” in April, is due to visit Bangkok on 6–7 August. ASEAN members have long pressed for direct access to Aung San Suu Kyi.