Myanmar’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained and is facing two years in prison after possessing illegal walkie-talkies.
On 1 February, the military staged a coup, and declared a year-long state of emergency, placing the commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing in charge. This prevented a new session of government from opening after the election where the military backed the opposition declaration of a fraudulent result. Suu Kyi’s party won the vast majority of the seats.
Suu Kyi is seen as the nation’s icon of democracy. She called for democratic reform before being placed under house arrest from 1989-1995, 2000-2002 and 2003-2010. Her party, the NLP, went on to have a landslide victory in the 2015 elections. Due to the constitution, she is prevented from being president but is the de facto leader. She has previously come under criticism for Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya people.
Across the country, people have responded to the coup. Many were seen banging pots and pans in protests from home and social media profile pictures have also turned red to signify support to NLP. There are also acts of civil disobedience from workers, with health workers and teachers saying they will not work under military rule.
The G7 countries have condemned the coup and China has denied any consent given to it.
Written by Anna Male
Artwork by Zara Masood
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