Nay San Lwin

Co-Chair

Nay San Lwin is a notable Rohingya political activist and human rights advocate. He serves as Co-Chair of the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) and is the co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC).

He was born in 1978 in Buthidaung Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State, Myanmar, during the first major wave of violence against the Rohingya, known as the “Dragon King” operation. He grew up in Rangoon, where he studied at the University of Yangon.

His family has deep roots in Myanmar. Both his parents were lifelong civil servants; his grandfathers held senior positions in Buthidaung Township, and his great-grandfather, Abdul Zolil, was officially recognised as an indigenous person of Burma (Myanmar).

As a member of the Rohingya Muslim minority, he endured years of discrimination and harassment in Rangoon. In 2001, due to increasing discrimination, he was forced to leave Myanmar and live in exile.

Since then, he has dedicated over two decades to documenting human rights abuses, military atrocities, and genocidal campaigns by the Myanmar armed forces (Tatmadaw) against the Rohingya community in Arakan State. He contributed to the Rohingya Blogger website, founded by his father, U Ba Sein. The website became an essential platform for real-time reporting, fact-checking, verification, and analysis of the Rohingya crisis, and journalists, governments, international organisations, and the United Nations have widely used it.

In April 2018, he co-founded the Free Rohingya Coalition, a worldwide network of activists, academics, and advocates striving for justice, accountability, and human rights for the Rohingya people. He acts as Coordinator for Campaign & Media Relations, organising global advocacy efforts and building networks of support.

He is also a regular commentator on international media. He has given interviews to outlets such as CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, France 24, Democracy Now, and many others, and his analyses have been cited in global news reports, human rights publications, and policy briefings. He also appears on the radio, online forums, and in documentary films to discuss genocide, statelessness, and displacement.

Because of his outspoken activism, he has been directly targeted by the Myanmar authorities. Both the Presidential Office and the State Counsellor’s Office under Aung San Suu Kyi publicly criticised him for reporting on military atrocities against the Rohingya. Prominent nationalist figures, including former USDP MP Hla Swe and Aye Ne Win, grandson of the late dictator General Ne Win, have publicly attacked him, and he has received multiple death threats for exposing crimes against his people in northern Arakan State.

Despite these threats, he has continued his work tirelessly. His research, evidence, and advocacy have supported major international initiatives, including the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar and the 2019 International Court of Justice (ICJ) case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar for genocide. He has consistently argued that the statelessness of the Rohingya is a deliberate state policy, not an accident, and has also condemned the Arakan Army (AA) for violence and forced displacement of Rohingya civilians.

He has addressed numerous high-level forums, including the European Parliament, the United Nations, and other major international conferences across Asia, Europe, and North America. He has spoken in the parliaments of several European countries and engaged with governments throughout Europe, ASEAN member states, and the United States to advocate for more decisive action on justice, accountability, and the protection of Rohingya rights.

Since the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, he has broadened his advocacy efforts to build stronger connections between the Rohingya and other ethnic and pro-democracy groups within Myanmar, encouraging unity and solidarity among all communities oppressed by military rule.

Now living in exile in Germany, Nay San Lwin continues his global advocacy through public speaking engagements, collaborations with human rights organisations, and active participation on social media—particularly via his X (Twitter) account, @nslwin, which has over 126,000 followers. Despite ongoing threats, he remains dedicated to fighting for justice, equality, and Rohingya rights, asserting that he will not be silenced.

Phone: +49 176 62139138
Email: nslwin@protonmail.com