Nyi Nyi Aung (also known as Kyaw Zaw Lwin) has been involved in the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar since 1988 when he was first arrested as an 18 year old student. He played a crucial role in organizing high school student groups and later served as one of the organizers of the nationwide demonstrations against the military junta.
Aung fled in Thailand in October 1988 due to persecution by authorities and constant threats of arrest. There he co-founded the Buremese Students Social Affairs Committee to provide humanitarian and medical assistance to exiled Myanmar nationals in Thailand. While in Thailand, Aung was arrested by the Thai authorities for protesting the government’s deals with the Myanmar junta. After his release, he traveled to the U.S. in 1993 where he sought asylum and eventually became a naturalized citizen.
In 2007, Aung’s mother and two cousins were arrested because of their role in the pro-democracy protests known as the Saffron Revolution.
On September 3, 2009, Aung flew to Myanmar to visit his imprisoned mother, who the junta denied treatment for cancer. Aung was detained immediately after exiting the aircraft. The junta failed to acknowledge to Aung’s family or the U.S. Embassy that it detained Aung until September 20, 2009. Upon receiving consular access, U.S. Embassy officials learned that Aung had been tortured. Aung later spent over one month in military dog cell confinement.
After a trial that violated both Myanmar domestic and international law, Aung was convicted on February 10, 2010, and sentenced to five years imprisonment, including hard labor, commuted to three years. Aung was found guilty on false charges of forging a national identity card, failing to declare currencies at customs, and failing to renounce his Myanmar citizenship.
Freedom Now filed a petition in February 2010 with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Aung. The Working Group determined in September 2010 that the detention of Aung was a violation of international law and called for his immediate release. Freedom Now brought international attention to Aung’s case by publishing op-eds in The Nation and the Wall Street Journal; requesting consular access, and facilitating a letter from 53 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Aung was released on March 18, 2010 and he returned home to Maryland and his fiancé, Wa Wa Kyaw. His homecoming was featured in an article in the Washington Post and the Washingtonian. Aung continues to be a strong advocate for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.