BBC: Published
There have been mass protests, armed
resistance and mass killings in Myanmar ever since the military seized control
exactly a year ago.
Elected
leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been jailed after what her supporters say are show
trials.
The
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says 1500 people have been
killed by security forces since the military took power. Others say the figure
is much higher.
Where is Myanmar?
Myanmar,
also known as Burma, is in South East Asia. It
neighbours Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China and India.
It has a
population of about 54 million, most of whom are Burmese speakers, although
other languages are also spoken. The biggest city is Yangon (Rangoon), but the
capital is Nay Pyi Taw.
The main
religion is Buddhism. There are many ethnic groups in the country, including Rohingya Muslims.
The country
gained independence from Britain in 1948. It was ruled by the armed forces from
1962 until 2011, when a new government began ushering in a return to civilian
rule.
Why is Myanmar also known as
Burma?
The ruling
military changed the country's name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989. The two
words mean the same thing but Myanmar is the more formal version.
Some
countries, including the UK, initially refused to use the name as a way of
denying the regime's legitimacy.
But use of "Myanmar"
has become increasingly common, and in 2016 Ms Suu Kyi said it did not matter
which name was used.
When did the military coup take
place?
The
military seized control on 1 February following a general election which Aung
San Suu Kyi's NLD party won by a landslide.
Myanmar coup: What led to the
military seizing power?
Media caption, Myanmar coup: How did we get here?
It had
backed the opposition, who were demanding a re-run of the vote claiming widespread fraud.
The
election commission said there was no evidence to support these claims.
The coup
took place as a new session of parliament was set to open.
What has happened since the
coup?
Opposition
activists have formed the Campaign for Civil Disobedience (CDM) and have helped
organise strikes and mass protests against the coup. The military has put them down
with live fire, water cannons and rubber bullets.
Image caption,Protestors armed with
rudimentary weapons take cover from the police in a demonstration in March, 2022
What
started as civil disobedience has now turned into essentially a civil war
across Myanmar. Local militias calling themselves People's Defence Forces, or
PDFs, have attacked military convoys and assassinated officials.
The
government has carried out violent reprisals against the PDFs, including the torture and killing of 40
civilians in July 2021 in the opposition
stronghold of Sagaing district in Central Myanmar.
Who is in charge now?
Military
commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has taken power.
He has long
wielded significant political influence, successfully maintaining the power of
the Tatmadaw - Myanmar's military - even as the country moved towards democracy.
GETTY IMAGES Image caption,Min Aung Hlaing is the leader of
the coup
He has
received international condemnation and sanctions for his alleged role in the
military's attacks on ethnic minorities.
Gen Hlaing
has said the military is on the side of the people and would form a "true
and disciplined democracy".
The
military says it will hold a "free and fair" election once the state
of emergency is over.
.The general who returned
Myanmar to military rule
Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
Aung San
Suu Kyi became world-famous in the 1990s for campaigning to restore democracy.
In 2015,
she led the NLD to victory in Myanmar's first openly contested election in 25
years.
.Myanmar's democracy icon who
fell from grace
s Suu Kyi
has been sentenced to six years in jail for violating the country's official
secrets act, possessing illegal walkie-talkies and publishing information that
may "cause fear or alarm". She was sentenced to six years in jail.
She is 76 years old.
Ms Suu Kyi
is going on trial again, accused of corruption over the purchase of a
helicopter whilst she was in office, among other charges.
GETTY IMAGES Image caption,Aung San Suu Kyi, pictured in
September 2020
What about the crackdown on
Rohingya?
Aung San
Suu Kyi's international reputation has suffered greatly as a result of
Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya minority.
Thousands
of them were killed and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh following an army
crackdown in 2017.
Ms Suu Kyi
appeared before the International Court of Justice in 2019 and denied
allegations that the military had committed genocide.
.What you need to know about the
Rohingya crisis
What has the international
reaction been to the coup?
The United
Nations has warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, with "an
intensification of violence and a rapid rise in poverty".
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused the security forces of a "reign
of terror".
The US, UK
and European Union have imposed sanctions on military officials.
China
blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup, but has backed
calls for a return to democratic norms.
