Khin Maung Zaw
Khin Maung Zaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1948 |
| Alma mater | Mandalay University |
| Occupation | Human rights lawyer |
Khin Maung Zaw (born 1948),[1] known honorifically as U Khin Maung Zaw, is a Burmese lawyer and human rights activist based in Myanmar.[1][2] He represented Aung San Suu Kyi,[3] among other Myanmar nationals who receive undemocratic trials.[4]
Biography
[edit]Zaw was born in Pyinmana in 1948,[5] soon after British rule in Burma ended. As a student at Mandalay University, he attempted to form a students' union, which had been banned during the ruling of Ne Win.[1] For his activism, he was sent to a prison camp on the Coco Islands. In 1972, he was released, until being re-imprisoned for two years in 1978 for joining a student protest. He obtained a degree in law from Mandalay University at age 37.[1]
In 2017, Zaw took represented two Reuters journalists who were imprisoned for uncovering a massacre of Rohingya muslims.[6]
Zaw serves as the lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi, a former state counsellor of Myanmar who played a vital role in the country's transition to partial democracy,[7] who was charged for several offences.[8]
When Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won elections in 2015, beginning a precarious power-sharing with the military, Khin Maung Zaw distanced himself from the political party.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Beech, Hannah (2021-07-02). "This Lawyer Loses Most of His Cases. And He's Proud of It". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ "Myanmar lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw shortlisted for human rights prize". Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Peck, Grant (2021-10-15). "Myanmar bars Suu Kyi's lawyer from talking about her cases". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Barron, Laignee (2017-10-30). "Myanmar Detained a Team of Journalists for Flying a Drone". TIME. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer soldiers on in Myanmar 'in defence of democracy'". The Straits Times. 2021-02-23. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ Lewis, Simon (2019-03-26). "Myanmar's top court hears Reuters reporters' appeal in official secrets case". Reuters. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
- ^ Kyaw, Min Ye; Ratcliffe, Rebecca (2023-03-28). "Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party dissolved". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer says he has been barred from speaking about her case". The Guardian. 2021-10-15. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-17.