Mandalay lawyer Ywet Nu Aung, 44, was awarded the Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize on May 24. She was arrested in April 2022 following a court hearing for a senior member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which was ousted in the 2021 military coup.
Ywet Nu Aung was sentenced to 15 years in prison for violating the Counter-Terrorism Act for allegedly providing financial support to the People’s Defense Force (PDF) on Dec. 27, 2022. “It is unclear whether she will be able to be represented due to the political conditions imposed on Myanmar following the 2021 coup,” said a press release from the Ludovic Trarieux prize committee on Sept. 11.
Ywet Nu Aung was named by The Irrawaddy as one of the “10 Women Who Inspired Us in 2020” for her “outstanding legal work.” The Ludovic Trarieux prize is awarded annually to a lawyer defending human rights globally. It is the oldest and most prestigious award given to a lawyer. A ceremony will be held at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome on Oct. 18. Ywet Nu Aung is the 29th recipient of the prize and the 15th woman to receive it.
