As of Wednesday, the Burmese democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi will have spent a total of 20 years in detention in Myanmar, five of them since her government was overthrown by a military coup in February 2021.
Almost nothing is known about her state of health or the conditions in which she is living, although she is presumed to be held in a military prison in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. For all I know she could be dead, her son Kim Aris said last month, though a spokesman for the ruling military junta insisted she is in good health.
She has not seen her lawyers for at least two years, nor is she known to have seen anyone else except prison personnel. After the coup, she was given jail sentences totaling 27 years on what are widely viewed as fabricated charges.
Yet despite her disappearance from public view, Suu Kyi still casts a long shadow over Myanmar. There are repeated calls for her release, along with appeals to the generals to end their ruinous campaign against the armed opposition and negotiate an end to the civil war that has now dragged on for five years.
The military has attempted to erase her once-ubiquitous image, but remnants of her presence persist—faded posters of The Lady or Amay Su still appear in tucked-away corners. Could she still play a role in resolving the ongoing conflict between soldiers and civilians in Myanmar?
The situation echoes past events when, in 2010, the military organized an election excluding Suu Kyi's party, intending to secure a controlled political environment. This led to her eventual release and the rise of her party in subsequent democratic elections.
Today, the political landscape is significantly different. The intensity and violence of the military response to opposition have alienated many, allowing younger activists to question Suu Kyi's legacy, particularly regarding the Rohingya crisis, where her defense of the military's actions tarnished her international reputation.
Despite her long struggle for democracy, her advanced age (80) and health uncertainties pose doubts about her potential impact should she be released. However, her stature remains unmatched, as many see her as integral to navigating Myanmar out of its current crisis.
