Aung San Suu Kyi
Born 1945 · Age 80
Burmese politician, diplomat, author and activist; Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1991); long-time leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD); State Counsellor of Myanmar (2016–2021).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Rangoon (Yangon)
Born in Rangoon, British Burma, daughter of independence leader Aung San and Khin Kyi.
Father Aung San assassinated
Her father, General Aung San, was assassinated in 1947; a formative family and national event.
Moved to New Delhi with mother; began study in India
Mother Khin Kyi appointed Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal; Suu Kyi accompanied her and studied at Convent of Jesus and Mary and Lady Shri Ram College.
Graduated University of Delhi (BA)
Graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, with a degree in politics.
Graduated St Hugh's College, Oxford (BA PPE)
Received BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St Hugh's College, Oxford (later promoted to MA in 1968 by tradition).
Worked at the United Nations
Worked at the UN Secretariat (Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions) for about three years, primarily on budget matters.
Married Michael Aris
Married British scholar Michael Aris, who specialised in Tibetan and Himalayan studies.
Birth of second son, Kim Aris
Second son Kim (sometimes Htein Lin) born in Oxford.
Published biography of Aung San
Published 'Aung San' in the Leaders of Asia series (early published work contributing to her author profile).
Visiting scholar at Kyoto University
Visiting Scholar, Center of Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University (1985–86).
Fellow at Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (Shimla)
Fellow at IIAS in Shimla for a period (noted as two years in some sources).
Returned to Burma to care for her mother
Returned from abroad to Rangoon to tend her ailing mother; coincided with growing nationwide protests.
8888 Uprising (mass pro-democracy protests)
Major nationwide pro-democracy protests (8–8–88) violently suppressed by the military; pivotal event prompting her political leadership.
Addressed mass rally at Shwedagon Pagoda
Addressed around half a million people calling for democratic government (major public appearance that raised her national profile).
National League for Democracy formed (NLD)
NLD founded as a pro-democracy party; she became its General Secretary (sources give 24 Sep or 27 Sep 1988).
Placed under house arrest (first long-term detention)
Placed under house arrest by the military government; began long periods of detention totaling about 15 of the next 21 years.
Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought
Received the Sakharov Prize (European Parliament) around 1990–1991 as recognition for human rights work.
Elected Honorary Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford
Recognised by her Oxford college as an Honorary Fellow in 1990.
1990 general election — NLD landslide
NLD won about 82% of contested parliamentary seats (NLD majority); military junta refused to hand over power and nullified results.
Rafto Human Rights Prize awarded
Awarded the Rafto Prize in absentia (international recognition).
Published 'Freedom from Fear'
Collection of essays and writings published (Freedom from Fear) bringing international attention to her philosophy and experiences.
Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights; sons accepted on her behalf in Dec 1991.
Sons accepted Nobel Prize on her behalf
Her sons Alexander and Kim Aris accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on 10 Dec 1991 because she remained detained.
Established health & education trust with Nobel funds
Used the Nobel Prize money (approx. US$1.3M) to create a trust for Burmese health and education.
Met military leaders Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt
First high-level meeting with SLORC leaders since detention (reported meeting on 20 Sep 1994).
Delivered keynote at Fourth World Conference on Women (1995)
Delivered the keynote address at the UN NGO/NGO Forum (Beijing, 1995) while still under restrictions.
Released from house arrest (1995)
Released after about six years in detention; travel and activities remained restricted.
Motorcade attack in Yangon
Her motorcade was attacked by a mob (believed to be USDA members) on 9 Nov 1996; vehicles damaged and supporters beaten.
Named by Time among 'Children of Gandhi'
Time magazine in 1999 named her one of the 'Children of Gandhi' and a spiritual heir to nonviolence.
Death of husband Michael Aris
Michael Aris died of prostate cancer in London; government refused visa requests to visit him when gravely ill.
Placed under house arrest again (2000)
Returned to detention in September 2000 after attempts to travel and political activity.
Released from house arrest (May 6, 2002)
Released after UN-facilitated confidence-building negotiations led by Razali Ismail; hailed as 'a new dawn'.
Depayin massacre and detention
A government-sponsored mob attacked her convoy in Depayin; at least ~70 NLD supporters were killed; she was detained after fleeing.
Underwent hysterectomy; returned to house arrest
Following medical procedures (reported hysterectomy in Sept 2003), she was again placed under house arrest.
UN facilitation and limited contacts
UN envoys (Razali earlier; Gambari later) engaged in talks and had limited meetings with her; mixed results.
Seen publicly during Saffron/monks' protests
Left her house to greet and pray with Buddhist monks during large anti-junta demonstrations in Sept 2007.
UN Working Group: detention illegal
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued opinion declaring her ongoing detention illegal under Burmese and international law (2009/2010 rulings referenced).
Arrested after John Yettaw intrusion
Arrested and charged for breaching house arrest terms after U.S. citizen John Yettaw swam to her house; trial began May 18, 2009.
Convicted and sentenced (2009)
Convicted and initially sentenced to three years, later reduced to 18 months under house arrest; release date coincided with Nov 2010 elections.
NLD boycotted 2010 general election
NLD refused to reregister under restrictive election laws (2010) and largely boycotted the November 2010 election which was won decisively by the military-backed USDP.
Released from house arrest (Nov 13, 2010)
Released after long intermittent detention; returned to active politics and was allowed to meet family (son Kim visited).
First post-release press conference
Gave her first press conference since release on 14 Nov 2010, pledging to continue political work.
Awarded Wallenberg Medal and other international honours (circa 2011–2012)
Received civic honours including the Wallenberg Medal (2011) and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012) among others (some later revoked by groups over Rohingya).
Registered as NLD Chairperson (party position)
Registered officially as Chairperson of the National League for Democracy while the party was legal (office dates 13 Dec 2011 – 28 Mar 2023).
NLD wins April 2012 by-elections
NLD won 43 of 45 vacant seats in by-elections; she won a seat and was elected to the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives).
Sworn in as Member of Parliament (Kawhmu)
Took office as MP for Kawhmu (in office 2 May 2012 – 30 Mar 2016); served as Leader of the Opposition (2 May 2012 – 29 Jan 2016).
Left Myanmar for first time in 24 years
Traveled to Thailand (and later Europe in June 2012) — first foreign trip since returning in 1988.
First speech in Parliament
Made her first speech in Myanmar's parliament (July 25, 2012), calling for laws to protect ethnic minority rights.
NLD landslide in 2015 general election
NLD won about 86% of seats in the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw — a supermajority enabling selection of president/vice-president; major democratic milestone.
Focused on peace talks with ethnic armed organisations
As State Counsellor, prioritized peace processes with ethnic armed groups (approx. 20 active insurgencies) though success was mixed.
Named Minister of Foreign Affairs and other ministerial appointments
Assumed multiple ministerial posts (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the President's Office on 30 March 2016); briefly named Minister of Education and Electricity & Energy (gave up latter two within a week).
Appointed State Counsellor
Legislature created and approved the role of State Counsellor (akin to prime minister); she assumed office on 6 April 2016 and served until 1 Feb 2021.
Rohingya crisis escalation
Under her leadership, Myanmar faced international criticism over the army's operations in Rakhine state and mass displacement of Rohingya to Bangladesh (2016–2017 peak).
Domestic support remains high (surveys)
Despite international criticism, internal polls (e.g., 2020 reported earlier) consistently found high public trust in her among many Burmese citizens (e.g., ~70–79% in cited surveys).
Revocations of international honours begin
Several organizations rescinded honours (e.g., some universities and civic awards) in protest of her handling of the Rohingya crisis; public reputation damaged internationally.
Appeared at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Defended the Myanmar government at the ICJ against allegations of genocide concerning the Rohingya (December 2019 hearings).
NLD won November 2020 general election
NLD claimed a commanding victory in the 8 Nov 2020 parliamentary elections (party later claimed fraud by military), setting up next civilian government.
International condemnation of arrests and trials
United Nations, the U.S., and most European countries condemned the arrests, trials and sentences as politically motivated.
Arrested in 2021 military coup
Arrested 1 Feb 2021 after a military coup that seized power, detained alongside many NLD leaders; parliament session cancelled and state of emergency declared.
Sentenced to 4 years (Dec 6, 2021)
On 6 Dec 2021 she was sentenced to four years in prison on two charges (part of a series of politically charged convictions).
Additional 4-year sentence (Jan 10, 2022)
Received an additional four-year sentence on a separate set of charges on 10 Jan 2022.
Convicted on two corruption charges (Oct 12, 2022)
Convicted of two further corruption charges and sentenced to two terms of three years' imprisonment, to be served concurrently.
Additional conviction and 7-year sentence (Dec 30, 2022)
Trials concluded with another conviction and an additional seven-year sentence for corruption.
Reported final sentence and later reduction
Reported final sentence totalled 33 years in prison (later reported reduced to 27 years). Exact reduction date unspecified in source material.
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