Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi is a Myanmar politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate A cofounder and longtime leader of the National League for Democracy NLD she spent many years under house arrest during Myanmars former military dictatorship She later served as State Counsellor and foreign minister from 2016 to 2021 becoming the countrys de facto civilian leader Her international reputation was subsequently damaged by criticism of her governments response to the militarys persecution of the Rohingya In Myanmars November 2020 general election the NLD won an overwhelming parliamentary majority The military alleged widespread electoral fraud but Myanmars election commission said there was no evidence of fraud substantial enough to affect the result On 1 February 2021 the military seized power in a coup prevented the newly elected parliament from convening and detained Suu Kyi along with President Win Myint and other civilian leaders Following the coup militarycontrolled courts convicted Suu Kyi in a series of closed proceedings on charges including corruption election fraud and violations of the Official Secrets Act The United Nations has repeatedly called for her unconditional release and has described those held following the coup as arbitrarily detained As of September 2026 Suu Kyi remains in military custody In May 2026 she was transferred to a designated residence whose location has not been publicly disclosed An International Committee of the Red Cross delegate was permitted to visit her in August one of the few independently confirmed contacts with her since the coup