Politics runs in the family

Aung San Suu Kyi has a long history of fighting for democracy.

Suu Kyi, known affectionately by supporters as Daw Suu or Auntie Suu in the Myanmese language, comes from a family of politicians.

She was born in June 1945 in Yangon, Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Her father, Aung San, was the founder of the modern Burmese army. He played a big role in helping his country gain independence from Britain in 1948.

Suu Kyi's mother, Khin Kyi, was appointed Burma's ambassador to India and Nepal in 1960.

Suu Kyi spent most of her childhood in Burma. She went to high school there and then obtained a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from St Hugh's College in Oxford in 1969.