Myanmar’s detained former democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi is in apparently good physical and mental health but remains cut off from the outside world, her son Kim Aris has said after speaking to her for the first time in more than five years.

Aris spoke to his 81-year-old mother on Thursday at the Myanmar embassy in London after being granted a rare opportunity to contact her. He said she sounded mentally alert and physically strong but appeared to be living under strict isolation at an undisclosed residence in the capital, Naypyidaw.

“I don’t think she has anybody outside of the military or the police around her, so essentially she’s been held in solitary confinement from what I gather,” Aris said.

According to The Guardian, Aris questioned the military authorities’ motives for allowing the call, describing it as part of a public relations campaign aimed at improving the country’s international image. He said his mother remained unaware of developments beyond her immediate surroundings because she was denied access to newspapers, radio and television.

Suu Kyi was detained following the military coup in February 2021, which overthrew her elected government and plunged Myanmar into a prolonged conflict. She has since been held on charges widely criticised by her supporters as politically motivated.

Her son said he was still uncertain about her exact location, describing it as a residence in Naypyidaw surrounded by fencing and a small area of land. He called for her immediate release, saying she had spent five years in detention.

The military authorities have released photographs of Suu Kyi in recent months following growing calls for evidence of her condition. In August, she was photographed during a visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Last week, officials also published images showing her receiving gardening books sent by Britain’s King Charles.

Aris dismissed the photographs as staged publicity, arguing that they did not demonstrate that his mother was being treated fairly or had meaningful contact with the outside world.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and daughter of Myanmar independence hero General Aung San, led the country’s pro-democracy movement for decades. Her National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in the 2015 election, allowing her to serve as state counsellor under a power-sharing arrangement with the military.

Her international standing, however, suffered a major blow over the military’s 2016-2017 campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority, which forced hundreds of thousands to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. Suu Kyi defended Myanmar against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice in 2019, drawing widespread criticism from human rights groups.

Aris said his mother’s position during her time in government had been constrained by the military’s continuing influence and its ability to undermine the civilian administration. He argued that the generals had retained the power to seize control despite the country’s limited democratic opening.

The 2021 coup triggered a nationwide armed conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, according to conflict monitoring and humanitarian assessments.

Aris also expressed concern over declining international attention to Myanmar, saying the country’s worsening crisis should not be overlooked because of the treatment of the Rohingya.

“Never mind my mother, the fact that people ignore what’s happening in Burma shouldn’t be down to what was being done to the Rohingya,” he said, using Myanmar’s former name.

He argued that abuses against the Rohingya and the repression of other communities in Myanmar should both remain matters of international concern.

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