Old clip of Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer resurfaces amid concerns over her health

"Great news about mother Suu, her lawyer said that she is healthy. She told the public to stay healthy as well. She is still worried about us," says the Burmese-language caption of a Facebook video posted on May 3, 2026. 

The video shows a woman wearing a face mask, who says that Suu Kyi is in good health while referring to her as "Amay" -- Burmese for mother.

Superimposed text on the video reads, "State counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health".

Suu Kyi has been detained since the February 1, 2021 military coup that toppled her elected government on a host of charges that rights groups say were confected to sideline her (archived link). The 80-year-old Nobel laureate, who remains massively popular inside Myanmar, has been held almost completely incommunicado as her family warned of her ailing health (archived link).

The coup ousted her administration and triggered a crackdown on dissent, sparking a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions in the Southeast Asian country of roughly 50 million people (archived link). 

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Screenshot of the false post captured on May 7, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The clip was also shared in similar posts elsewhere on Facebook after Myanmar's junta chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, ordered Suu Kyi to be moved to house arrest.

The video, however, is not a recent update from Suu Kyi's lawyer.

Interview from 2021

A combination of keyword searches and reverse image searches on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a higher-resolution version that was distributed by the Associated Press (AP) news agency on April 1, 2021 (archived link). 

Titled "Lawyer: Suu Kyi is well, appeared in court", the video shows lawyer Min Min Soe, who defended Suu Kyi during her trial, speaking to the media in her office.

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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the AP video distributed in April 2021

The clip was also published by other media in their reporting of Syu Kyi's 2021 trial (archived link). 

A senior member of her dissolved National League for Democracy (NLD) party also told AFP that her lawyers have not been able to see her since the conclusion of her trial on December 30, 2022 (archived link). 

"Aunty and the lawyers have not been able to meet since the sentence was given. A designated person has been sending goods to her. But there has been no chance to meet with aunty," he told AFP on May 6, 2026.

 Suu Kyi's son, Kim Aris, has demanded France's help in seeking proof of life after his mother was transferred to house arrest (archived link). 

"I implore France to join my call so that we may obtain independently verified proof of life, and so that her fundamental rights are guaranteed: appropriate medical care, access to her lawyers and to her family," he wrote in a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron seen by AFP.

Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Francois Zimeray, also questioned the authenticity of a photo published by state media MRTV showing the former leader sitting in front of two men, one in a police uniform and the other in a military uniform (archived link).

"We don't know if it's real or if it's AI," Zimeray, said, adding that they "have had no proof of life, no photos for years, not even any indication that she was actually transferred".

AFP previously debunked misinformation related to Myanmar unrest.