Aung San Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and State Counsellor of Myanmar, is among those who have been detained in the region as part of a military coup.
The military, per a Reuters report, made multiple detentions of National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders during early morning raid operations in response to what they call "election fraud." A spokesperson for the NLD party told the news outlet Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and others had been taken by the military.
In the region's most recent election, Suu Kyi's party ultimately won a reported 83 percent of the vote. A pre-written statement, said to be from Suu Kyi and shared to Facebook , saw the leader urging the people of Myanmar to not accept the miltary's takeover and "to respond and wholeheartedly protest" it.
Tirana Hassan, deputy executive director and chief programs officer of the global human rights advocacy organization Human Rights Watch, warned early Monday that the "overturning of Myanmar's constitutional order" and the aforementioned arrests could trigger a human rights crisis in the country.
"The situation in Myanmar requires an urgent response from the international community, Hassan said in a statement shared on Twitter. "Now is not the time for the kind of diplomatic foot-dragging that has long characterized engagement [with] Myanmar's extraordinarily abusive military regime."
On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"We continue to affirm our strong support for Burma's democratic institutions and, in coordination with our regional partners, urge the military and all other parties to adhere to democratic norms and the rule of law, and to release those detained today," Psaki said, adding that the U.S. "opposes any attempt" to interfere with Myanmar’s democratic transition. The ongoing situation, she added, is being closely monitored by the Biden administration.
According to an announcement shared via a military-backed TV station in the region, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing will be in charge of Myanmar for a year.
