Myanmar has reprimanded German chargé d’affaires Mathias Licharz over a critical video message and demanded an explanation from Berlin. The Foreign Ministry in Naypyidaw summoned the head of the German embassy on 10 November 2026. The dispute concerns the military leadership’s treatment of President Win Myint, who was ousted in 2021. The diplomatic protest was also reported on 12 November.
The incident was prompted by a video published on 8 November in which Licharz spoke about Win Myint’s birthday. The diplomat said his efforts to meet the former head of state had been unsuccessful. Win Myint was not a free man and could neither communicate independently nor receive visitors as he wished, he said. Licharz also called for the release of political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry accused the chargé d’affaires of interfering in internal affairs and insulting the head of state. It demanded to know whether Federal Foreign Office had approved or instructed the statement, the recording location and its publication, or whether Licharz had acted on his own initiative. It also warned against a repeat.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ko Ko Kyaw said, according to his ministry, that it would have no objection if Licharz wished to recognise Win Myint as president and end his service in Myanmar. The statement does not indicate that the German representative was formally expelled. Germany’s Foreign Office most recently listed Licharz as chargé d’affaires and head of the embassy in Yangon.
The protest touches on a central question in Myanmar’s conflict: who claims political legitimacy after the 2021 military coup? The army ousted the elected leadership at the time. Win Myint was imprisoned; according to the authorities, he was pardoned in April 2026. In his video message, Licharz disputed the impression that the former president was now free to move about.
Following an internationally disputed election, army chief Min Aung Hlaing is at the head of the state. Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry portrayed the current government as democratically elected and also regarded the German’s remarks as an insult to voters. This is the authorities’ position. The military leadership organised the election; critics see the new government as a continuation of its rule.
For Germany, the incident raises the question of how openly its diplomatic mission can address the situation of political prisoners. Myanmar, in turn, invokes the principle of non-interference and calls for diplomatic restraint. The available sources did not make clear whether Berlin had provided the requested explanation or what effect the protest would have on the embassy’s work.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).