Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Despite being under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years, she has remained a symbol of hope, defiance and moral strength for the 55 million people of Burma and is recognized as one of the world’s most renowned freedom fighters. She has received numerous honors for her work including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and the Congressional Gold Medal — the highest civilian award in the United States — by a unanimous vote, in 2008. Suu Kyi is the General Secretary for the National League for Democracy in Burma and a pivotal figure in the Burmese democracy movement.