Kyaw Hla Aung Photo: Aurora
As the 2018 Aurora Prize Laureate, Kyaw Hla Aung will receive a $ 100,000 grant and he will donate $ 1,000,000 award to:
• Médecins Sans Frontières (London)
• Malaysian Medical Relief – MERCY Malaysia (Malaysia)
• International Catholic Migration Commission – ICMC (Switzerland, USA)
Kyaw Hla Aung has been working for decades, using his legal expertise to appeal for basic human rights for the stateless Rohingya people. His commitment to fight for justice for the hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees in Myanmar persecuted by the government, and for the children who no longer have access to education, remains stronger than ever. He sacrificed a total of 12 years in prison as a result of his mission, at huge personal cost to his own family. On being named the 2018 Aurora Prize Laureate, Kyaw Hla Aung said: “There are severe restrictions on my people. They have lost their courage and faith in themselves, have become illiterate, and, as a result, are penniless. It has been heartbreaking to see my community suffer from such discrimination. The support of the Aurora Prize serves as important recognition for all of the Muslim victims of human rights violations, as the plight of the Rohingya people continues to become more visible to the international public.”
Kyaw Hla Aung was congratulated by Dr. Tom Catena, who was awarded the 2017 Aurora Prize for his exceptional commitment to providing urgent medical care to the 750,000 people in the war-torn Nuba Mountains of Sudan. He said: “The Aurora Prize has created a true light for our people in Nuba, and has helped rebuild the resilience of our community, ultimately to keep people alive. I am proud to share the Aurora Prize mantle with such a selfless humanitarian as Kyaw Hla Aung. I congratulate him on receiving this award and applaud his incredibly selfless efforts fighting for such a noble cause.” [see also” https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2017/06/28/nominations-are-open-for-the-2018-aurora-prize-for-awakening-humanity/]
Guests of the Aurora Prize Ceremony also honored the contributions of the other two 2018 Aurora Prize Humanitarians: Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, women’s rights advocate and Co-Founder of Prajwala, India, and Father Tomás González Castillo, Founder of La 72, a center that supports Central American migrants in Mexico.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
June 11, 2018 at 18:25
[…] 1 Million $ Aurora Prize Awarded to Rohingya Human Rights Defender Kyaw Hla Aung […]
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May 16, 2019 at 18:05
[…] Over the years, 14 Aurora Humanitarians have been shortlisted and 3 Laureates have been chosen, each of whom has nominated three organizations to receive support from Aurora. Through these organizations, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative helps combats child poverty, advances aid for refugees and orphans and provides educational, psychological and medical support to victims of war and sexual violence and HIV/AIDs-affected children. This impact is driven by a range of initiatives funded by the Prize across the world, including microcredit programs, scholarships, primary, secondary and vocational education, provision of medical supplies, and more. Overall, the Aurora Prize has allocated $3.3 million to support 23 projects worldwide in 11 areas of humanitarian assistance. See for last year: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2018/06/10/1-million-aurora-prize-awarded-to-rohingya-human-rights… […]
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October 20, 2019 at 19:34
[…] Rohingya lawyer and human rights campaigner Kyaw Hla Aung (2018) [see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2018/06/10/1-million-aurora-prize-awarded-to-rohingya-human-rights-…%5D. […]
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