Veteran activist wins Citizen of Burma Award 2026; Fortify Rights urges ICC to issue warrant for ARSA leader

Veteran activist wins Citizen of Burma Award 2026

Pro-democracy activist and former political prisoner Min Ko Naing was honored with the Citizen of Burma Award 2026 by the U.S.-based organization of the same name in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Saturday. Min Ko Naing, which means “Conqueror of Kings,” was born Paw Oo Tun. He fled underground to avoid arrest during the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, and now fights for democracy from exile in an unknown country.

The Citizen of Burma Award organization announced on May 23 that it chose Min Ko Naing due to his work “against military dictatorship from the 1988 pro-democracy uprising to the Spring Revolution alongside the people,” referring to the resistance to the 2021 coup. He was jailed in 1989 for his pro-democracy activism and released by a previous regime in 2004. Winners of the Citizen of Burma Award reportedly receive $10,000 USD.

The Citizen of Burma Award has been given each year since 2010. Over the last 16 years it has awarded a citizen of the country who contributes to “knowledge, labor, skills and resources towards social services and charities for the Burmese community inside Burma,” according to the organization’s mission statement. The award was given to Aung San Suu Kyi last year. Her son Kim Aris received it on her behalf in the U.S. on May 24, 2025.

Read more and check out our photos from the 17th Citizen of Burma Award event in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on May 23.