Suu Kyi's Son Learns She Faces 18 More Years in Detention

Myanmar's military leader now controls the timetable for Aung San Suu Kyi's release, and that leverage sits at the center of a civil war that has killed about 100,000 people since the 2021 coup, according to the monitoring group ACLED. Suu Kyi, 81, told her son in a phone call on Thursday that she has 18 years left to serve.

Kim Aris, 49, a carpenter in London, said the 20-minute call was their first direct conversation since the military seized power in 2021. The call was arranged through Myanmar's Embassy in London, Khaing Khaing Soe, a spokesperson for the military-backed president, said on social media.

Suu Kyi was first sentenced in 2021 and received consecutive sentences through 2022 that brought her total to 33 years on corruption and electoral fraud charges. The U.S., Western countries and human rights groups have widely called the charges fabricated. Her sentence was later reduced to the 18 years she has left to serve.

Aris said he learned during the call that his mother is held at a residence around Naypyidaw, the capital, with police and military personnel around a fenced-off building. He said she can read books but does not appear to have access to radio, television or newspapers. "From what I can ascertain, she's basically being held in solitary confinement even if she's not in a prison cell," Aris said.

She sounded strong during the call but has tendonitis in her hand that at times leaves it unusable, Aris said. She receives a health checkup every six months, she told him. Aris said he hopes to send a care package; she asked for a mix of healthy food and treats, including Ben's Cookies, a brand founded in Oxford, England, where she raised her two sons with her late husband, the British scholar Michael Aris, before moving to Burma, now Myanmar, in 1988.

Richard Horsey of the International Crisis Group said Suu Kyi's status is "potentially the most valuable card Min Aung Hlaing holds" and warned she could become a bargaining chip while airstrikes continue. Her release is "very unlikely," Horsey said, and would not on its own end the war. Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the exiled National Unity Government, said the regime "dare not release" her.

Min Aung Hlaing, installed as president after a military-engineered election in January, travels abroad seeking legitimacy while remaining under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, including the 2016-2017 killings and expulsions of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, which Washington has declared a genocide. ACLED reports the military has stepped up attacks on civilians since he took office, even as regional governments increase diplomatic engagement.

The U.S. State Department said it remains concerned about everyone it considers unjustly detained and urged the military to hold "genuine dialogue with all opposition groups." Its Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs called in August for Suu Kyi's "immediate and unconditional release." Aris said the call may be a one-off.

The United Nations says millions have been displaced by the conflict that followed the coup. Suu Kyi's international standing suffered in 2019 when she defended Myanmar against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.