On February 1, Myanmar’s military seized power and declared a year-long state of emergency, with commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing taking charge. The coup d’etat follows the national election victory of the party of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which the armed forces refused to recognize.
Suu Kyi and her party allies have been placed under house arrest and charged with possessing illegally imported walkie-talkies.Since then tens of thousands of Myanmar citizens have taken to the streets to protest against the coup, facing police forces armed with water cannons and rubber bullets.
In the image selected for “This Happened, Photo of the Week,” photographer Aung Kyaw Htet has captured a protester holding up the three-finger salute, a symbol taken from The Hunger Games saga, which has been used across Asian countries to affirm resistance to authoritarian rule.
