Social media posts misrepresent old Aung San Suu Kyi image as recent

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains in detention after she was ousted and her hugely popular party was unable to participate in junta-run elections that ended in January 2026, but an image circulating in social media posts claiming to be a recent photo of the ex-leader is actually several years old. This dates back to an article in British newspaper The Guardian, which published a wider clip stating that the visual was filmed in 2022 during his trial.

“Some photos of Mom Su and the President have surfaced. It is very sad to see. Stay safe and healthy,” a Facebook post in Burmese language read on January 25, 2026.

The attached image shows Aung San Suu Kyi, referred to by her popular nickname, sitting next to former President Win Myint.

Both are serving prison sentences following a trial in a junta court that critics say was a sham intended to exclude them from politics.

Screenshot of the fake Facebook post taken on February 2, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

Myanmar has been gripped by unrest since the military staged a coup in 2021, ending the country’s experiment with civilian rule and sparking a civil war.

The dominant pro-military party claimed a landslide victory in polls concluded on January 25, 2026 that the junta was committed to returning power to the people (archived link).

But with the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and the dissolution of her party, critics say the vote was made up of military allies to extend their grip on power (archived link).

The UN human rights office, which harshly criticized the elections, warned that they had failed to respect basic human rights and that military attacks against the population had continued unabated.

Voting did not take place in large areas of the country controlled by rebel factions fighting in the civil war – another obstacle cited by those questioning the poll’s mandate.

The image surfaced elsewhere on Facebook and TikTok while voting was underway, sparking responses from users who thought it was recent.

“They are both losing weight,” one wrote, while another said: “Be healthy, our Su mom and president.”

However, a reverse image search on Google brought up a Guardian report from June 18, 2025 that includes a video showing the same scene (archived link).

“Leaked footage and prison records reveal Aung San Suu Kyi’s life in detention,” the headline reads.

The image circulating corresponds to the 14-second mark of the video in the report. Time codes in the footage indicate it was filmed on August 22, 2022.

According to The Guardian, the clip came from the military defector group People’s Embrace, which shared similar visuals along with prison diaries on its Facebook page on June 19, 2025 (archived link).

A representative for the group told AFP via Facebook Messenger on February 3, 2026 that the image circulating came from “the CCTV footage we sent to the Guardian”, and added that they received the footage from their sources within the military.

AFP is unable to independently verify the clip.

Other media outlets, including BBC Burmese, DVB and Mizzima, also reported on the leaked CCTV footage, citing The Guardian as the source (archived here, here and here).

More AFP reporting on disinformation linked to the unrest in Myanmar can be found here.