Phyoe Phyoe Aung | |
|---|---|
ဖြိုးဖြိုးအောင် | |
 | |
| Born | (1988-08-25)August 25, 1988 (age 36)[1] |
| Organization | All Burma Federation of Student Unions |
| Known for | Activism |
| Movement | Saffron Revolution,Education reform campaign |
| Parent(s) | Ne Win (activist) Thandar |
Phyoe Phyoe Aung (Burmese:ဖြိုးဖြိုးအောင်; born 25 August 1988) is a student activist and former political prisoner fromBurma (Myanmar).[2] Her father is also an activist and was repeatedly arrested and sentenced for long prison terms under the military regime.[3] She was one year old when her father was arrested and sentenced for 20 years in 1989. She was awarded anInternational Women of Courage Award in 2021.[4]
Phyoe Phyoe Aung was involved in theSaffron Revolution in 2007 and went into hiding. She worked together with her father in collecting the bodies for burial afterCyclone Nargis hit the Delta Region in May 2008. Both were arrested with others during their trip back toYangon. She was sentenced for 4 years in prison by the military junta in June 2008. She was studying civil engineering at that time. She was released fromMawlamyaing Prison in October 2011 and became the general secretary of theAll Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and a member of theDemocratic Education Movement Leading Committee at the age of 27.[5][6] She became a prominent leader of education reform campaign in 2014–15.
She was one of the leaders of students marching fromMandalay to Yangon to protest thenew National Education Bill, and the protest was violently suppressed by theMyanmar Police Force inLetpadan Township on 10 March 2015. She attended sequel of meetings with Ministers and various stakeholders to discuss education bill and reform at Yangon, after which she was arrested.[7][8]
Her courage was praised by formerAmerican PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[9] She received theCitizen of Burma Award for 2015.[10][11]Amnesty International has declared her aprisoner of conscience.[12]
OnInternational Women's Day in 2021 she was given theInternational Women of Courage Award from the US Secretary of State,Tony Blinken. The ceremony was virtual due to the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic and it included an address byFirst Lady, Dr.Jill Biden. After the award ceremony all of the fourteen awardees would be able to take part in a virtual exchange as part an International Visitor Leadership Program.[13]
She was released in April 2016.[14]
