Military stage a coup in Myanmar, detaining civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi and declaring a one-year state of emergency.
Acting president Myint Swe proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing.Â
It declared the results of the November 2020 general election invalid and stated its intent to hold a new election at the end of the state of emergency.Â
The coup d’état occurred the day before the Parliament of Myanmar was due to swear in the members elected at the 2020 election, thereby preventing this from occurring. President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained, along with ministers, their deputies, and members of Parliament.
On February 3 2021, Win Myint was charged with breaching campaign guidelines and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions under section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law. Aung San Suu Kyi was charged with breaching emergency COVID-19 laws and for illegally importing and using radio and communication devices, specifically six ICOM devices from her security team and a walkie-talkie, which are restricted in Myanmar and need clearance from military-related agencies before acquisition. Both were remanded in custody for two weeks.
Aung San Suu Kyi received an additional criminal charge for violating the National Disaster Act on February 16, two additional charges for violating communications laws and an intent to incite public unrest on March 1 and another of violating the official secrets act on April 1
As of April 12 2021, at least 707 civilians, including children, have been killed by military or police forces and at least 3,070 people detained. Three prominent NLD members also died while in police custody in March 2021.
