Mizzima/ICRC-Aug 5

The National Unity Government (NUG) and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) told Mizzima that the meeting between detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was the cumulative result of domestic and international pressure, warning that negotiations alone cannot yield positive outcomes.

NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung made this comment regarding the 3 August meeting between Aung San Suu Kyi and Mr. Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC Resident Representative to Myanmar. “I view this development as reflecting the collective impact of resolute domestic and international efforts, human rights demands, and international diplomatic engagements,” NUG Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung told Mizzima. Similarly, CRPH spokesperson Sithu Maung pointed out that negotiations alone, without pressure and active struggle, cannot secure the release of political leaders. “This could sadly be described as a state-sponsored prison visitation day, where an unjustly detained state leader is paraded before the public. We want the release of political prisoners to be based on the rule of law, rather than relying on the mercy and goodwill of a particular group,” he told Mizzima. Furthermore, Sithu Maung cautioned the public not to forget that this meeting was permitted solely under prison manual procedures. He urged people to remember that top NLD leaders, including Pyithu Hluttaw Deputy Speaker Tun Tun Hein, and other political prisoners have died in prison due to inadequate medical care, while others were unjustly executed. The ICRC officially confirmed the meeting on the afternoon of August 3, stating that it was a private meeting conducted in accordance with established procedures. While news of the meeting brought a glimmer of hope for the first time in five years, her son, Htein Lin (Kim Aris) said, he has not yet received independent confirmation regarding his mother’s health. “A single meeting cannot answer all the questions our family has held in our hearts since the military coup. I only hope this is the beginning of the end, leading to my mother’s release,” he said, reiterating his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. The 81-year-old State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since the military coup on 1 February 2021, and has been sentenced to 27 years in prison, reduced to 18 years, under various charges. Read more at: https://eng.mizzima.com/2026/08/05/37071