Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?

Aung San Suu Kyi (born June 19, 1945, Rangoon, Burma, now Yangon, Myanmar) is a politician and opposition leader of Myanmar. She is the daughter of Anung San (a martyred national hero of independent Burma) and Khin Kyi (a prominent Burmese diplomat), and winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1991. She held multiple governmental posts from 2016, including that of state counselor, which essentially made her the de facto (existing not necessarily legal) leader of the country.

On February 1, 2021, the military seized power from the newly elected parliament and Suu Kyi along with her party leaders were detained. A state of emergency was declared. Meanwhile, work strikes and other acts of civil disobedience ensued in the weeks following the coup, as did large-scale protests calling for her release.

On 6th December, 2021, a Court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced her for two years to detention at an undisclosed location. The former Nobel laureate also faces several other charges that could see her spend the rest of her life in prison if convicted on all counts. The verdict was met with widespread condemnation around the world. Amnesty International, European Union, United Nations and other democratic leaders called the verdict "politically motivated." All eyes are now set on "Summit for Democracy" convened by President Joe Biden on December 9 and 10 wherein she may find support for democratic transition in Myanmar from the participating nations.