Aung San Suu Kyi, born June 19, 1945, in Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar), is a prominent politician, pro-democracy activist, and opposition leader, daughter of Myanmar's independence hero Aung San, assassinated in 1947, and diplomat Khin Kyi.[1][2][3] Educated in Myanmar, India, the UK (including Oxford University), and London, she married Tibet scholar Michael Aris in 1972, with whom she had two sons, living abroad until 1988 when she returned to care for her ailing mother amid nationwide pro-democracy uprisings against military dictator General Ne Win.[1][2][3][4] In 1988, following the brutal suppression of the "8-8-88" mass uprising that killed thousands, Suu Kyi emerged as a leader, delivering her first major speech at Shwedagon Pagoda and co-founding the National League for Democracy (NLD) as general secretary, advocating non-violent civil disobedience inspired by Gandhi.[1][2][3][4][7] Placed under house arrest in 1989 by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), she spent nearly 15 of the next 21 years detained, even as the NLD won 392 of 492 seats in the 1990 election, results ignored by the junta.[1][4][6][7] In 1991, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights; she donated the prize money to health and education trusts.[1][2] Released periodically, including in 2002 and 2010, Suu Kyi led the NLD to victory in 2015 elections. From 2016 to 2021, barred from the presidency by military-linked constitutional provisions, she served as state counsellor (de facto leader), minister of foreign affairs, and minister of the president's office, coordinating government branches.[1][4][5] Her tenure faced criticism over the Rohingya crisis, though she defended Myanmar at the International Court of Justice. In February 2021, the military seized power in a coup, alleging election fraud, detaining Suu Kyi and sidelining her from leadership; as of recent reports, she remains under house arrest.[1][6] Now 80, she continues as NLD president, symbolizing Myanmar's democracy movement amid ongoing conflict.[4]