Zin Mar Aung, who spent 11 years in prison for writing a letter to Burma’s military junta asking it to install the freely elected members of Parliament, said in a talk on Capitol Hill that she’s often asked why she risked fighting for the peace movement in Burma.
A member of the 88-Generation Students group, Zin Mar Aung is the co-founder of a women’s empowerment group and also works on ethnic issues. She heads up several NGOs to promote her work, and is focused on a democratic future for Burma. Zin Mar Aung works with women ex-political prisoners and teaches civil society activists in Rangoon. She has also worked in the area of promoting democracy and showing how it is compatible with Asian culture.
Zin Mar Aung received the International Women of Courage Award from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. A special guest at the ceremony was U.S. first lady Michelle Obama. The prestigious U.S. award annually recognizes women around the world who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of the award in 2007, the Department of State has honored 46 women from 34 different countries.