August 8 is a date etched in blood. On this day in 1988, Myanmar’s military turned its guns on thousands of peaceful protesters in what is now remembered as the 8888 uprising. Although it was by no means the first or last time that peaceful protests in Myanmar have been met by military force, August 8 1988 has become totemic. It gave rise to the National League for Democracy (NLD), catapulting Aung San Suu Kyi into its leadership.
Almost 40 years later, Myanmar is ruled by yet another brutal and illegitimate military regime, which seized power in a coup on 1 February 2021, overthrowing Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government. As in 1988, the military responded to post-coup protests with extreme violence. Today, more than 22,000 political prisoners are behind bars, including Suu Kyi and elected President Win Myint. Suu Kyi, who already spent 15 years under house arrest over three periods of detention, is serving a 27-year sentence.
