Soon afterwards, at least 3,000 people were killed when the military crushed protests against its authoritarian rule -- a catalyst moment for Suu Kyi. Her National League for Democracy party nonetheless surged to a landslide election victory in 1990. Suu Kyi spent around 15 of the following 20 years in detention, largely at her Yangon home where she often roused crowds with speeches over her boundary wall. The junta offered to end her imprisonment at any time if she left the country permanently, but Suu Kyi refused and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while detained in 1991. Suu Kyi travelled to The Hague to rebut charges of genocide against them at the UN's top court in 2019 -- tanking her reputation on the international circuit.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 11, 2026 02:55 UTC