In March 2022, after overthrowing the country’s democratically elected government, Myanmar’s military junta stripped the citizenship of 16 prominent opposition figures, including senior executes of the National Unity Government (NUG). The government also revoked the citizenship of Ei Thinzar Maung for being a member of the NUG[1]. Let’s learn about the life and achievements of Ei Thinzar Maung, who was awarded the U.S. Department of State’s International Women of Courage Award in 2022 for her dedication to an inclusive and democratic Myanmar that opposed military dictatorship, with CAH.

           Ei Thinzar Maung was born on September 11^th, 1994 in Burma. She has been interested in human rights activities for women, children and minority groups including the Rohingya[2] since childhood. Ei Thinzar Maung received her BA in Foreign Language from Mandalay University. She has served as a human rights activist since 2012 and has been a member of the All Burma Student Unions (ABFSU), a left-wing umbrella organization[3] for student unions in Myanmar, resisting the corrupted government taking control over Myanmar. Ei Thinzar Maung was imprisoned on March 6^th, 2015, for protesting a law that included the withdrawal of student unions and teaching in ethnic minority languages. She was imprisoned for one year in Tayawadi Prison and released in 2016. Ei Thinzar Maung continued her activities to support peaceful pro-democracy activism such as the Civil Disobedience Movement and youth engagement. Then, on February 1, 2021, Ei Thinzar Maung led the protest for the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, which began when members of the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) were overthrown by the Myanmar military, Tatmadaw[4]. Ei Thinzar Maung publicized the absurdity of the military. She aroused the world’s awareness of Myanmar’s Military by disseminating the protest situation and the repression of the military through the media. In an interview with the Coalition for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ), released on October, 2021, Ei Thinzar Maung called for unity to regain democracy. She said, “We win as a collective, and we lose as a collective […] I keep my revolutionary spirit up and stay resolute and resolved about my activism.” Moreover, Ei Thinzar Maung presented her pursuing goal in an interview with Mekong Review in May 2021. Regarding the Myanmar crisis, Ei Thinzar Maung said, “It’s very important for the international community to help Burmese people […] especially for China and ASEAN countries.” She asked the international community for help and urged participation and solidarity. Currently, Ei Thinzar Maung has been appointed as the youngest-ever vice president in the National Unity Government, a political asylum group made up by members of parliament ousted in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, working to restore democracy from military dictatorship. She was awarded the International Women of Courage Award and was proudly named on The TIME 100’s Most Influential List of 2021.

Ei Thinzar Maung is a human rights activist who is emerging as a symbol of democracy in Myanmar. Ei Thinzar Maung has strongly resisted and requested revision of laws that limit academic freedom and joined the human rights movement on behalf of ethnic minorities. Since Myanmar came under a military dictatorship in 2021, Ei Thinzar Maung has been dedicated to democracy in Myanmar by leading the 2021-2022 Myanmar protests and publicizing the absurdity of military dictatorship. CAH support Ei Thinzar Maung’s reformation spirit who suggests a new way the wind will blow in Myanmar society by fighting for the marginalized.