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A global icon of democracy
Aung San Suu Kyi was born in June 1945. Her father, Aung San, was a political leader who helped Myanmar, then called Burma, regain independence from Great Britain. It is true that he died in 1947, less than a year before the country’s independence.
Efforts to build democracy in Myanmar ended in 1962, when a powerful military junta, the Tatmadaw, was established during a military coup. He held power for decades.
Aung San Suu Kyi, whose mother was a diplomat, spent most of her life abroad, educating in India and England. In 1988, during a democratic uprising in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi returned to her homeland to care for a sick mother and became a politician, founding the National League for Democracy (NDL).
Aung San Suu Kyi was soon placed under house arrest, where she spent a total of 15 years. However, in 1990, the NDL won the elections, although the junta refused to hand over power, writes The Washington Post.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Aung San Suu Kyi
Little by little, Aung San Suu Kyi went from being a national figure to a global icon of democracy. In 1991, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against the military junta. The Norwegian Nobel Committee called it “one of the most exceptional examples of civic courage in Asia in recent decades.”
When Myanmar began moving towards democracy in 2010, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.
In 2012, she was elected to parliament and in 2015, her party won a majority. According to the constitution drawn up by the board in 2008, she was unable to become president, but was granted the status of a state adviser.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Aung San Suu Kyi
When Aung San Suu Kyi’s international fame had not yet faded that year, then-US President Barack Obama visited Myanmar and claimed that the politician was “an icon of democracy who inspired so many people, not just in this country but all over the world. “
Condemnation of the Rohingya genocide
The constitution, which abolished the government of the junta, still retained the power and influence of the generals. This places Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD in a difficult position to try to preserve democratic rights and prevent Myanmar from reverting to a military regime.
Reuters / Photo by Scanpix / Rohinians flee Myanmar
The tensions were particularly evident in October 2016 and August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Liberation Army (ARSA) attacked the army in Rachin State, Myanmar.
The military response to the Rohingya Muslim minority was disproportionate: more than 700,000. the Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh.
The army is charged with arson, massacres, gang rape and torture. The United Nations (UN) called the crackdown a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
ALSO READ: Anthropologist on the Rohingya crisis: “What Myanmar is doing will affect the whole world”
According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 6.7 thousand people died. Rohingya, including at least 730 children under the age of 5.
„Scanpix“ / „SIPA“ nuotr./Rohinjai
Aung San Suu Kyi had no power to control the actions of the security apparatus and chose to publicly support the military, writes CNN. He called the genocide reports “disinfection” and valued the problems of “terrorists” in Rakhine state. She was soon condemned abroad, deprived of titles awarded as a fighter for democracy.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation was further damaged in 2019 when she decided to personally represent Myanmar before the International Court of Justice (ICC), where she tried to deny allegations of genocide. The country’s leader later claimed that the army had no intention of exterminating the Rohingya.
However, Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar remained popular. According to some observers, the refusal to criticize the military was crucial to maintaining civilian rule.
Arrested during the coup
In the November elections, the National League for Democracy won 396 of 476 parliamentary seats, but the military says it has established more than 10 million seats. cases of fraud and requires the government-run electoral commission to publish lists of voters for cross-checking.
The army declared a state of emergency and said it will seize power for the next 12 months, while Aung San Suu Kyi and party leaders have been detained.
AFP / Photo by Scanpix / Soldiers in the Myanmar Parliament
The army has pledged to hold new elections in one year and “pursue a true multi-party democracy.”
The international community has condemned the coup. European Council President Charles Michel called on the military to release the detainees and respect the election results, but did not specifically mention Aung San Suu Kyi.
Joe Biden on Monday called on Myanmar soldiers who carried out the coup to immediately hand over power to civilians and told his administration to consider returning sanctions to the country, which was lifted after its transition began. to democracy.
The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday on the situation in Myanmar, where the military carried out a coup.
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