Aye Aung (Burmese: အေးအောင်, pronounced [ʔé ʔàuɴ]; also known as Ko Aye Aung) is a currently imprisoned Burmese democracy activist.[1] Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience.[2]
Aye Aung studied physics at Dagon University, where he became active in the pro-democracy group All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). On 12 September 1998, he was arrested along with Myo Min Zaw for distributing fliers and organizing student demonstrations in Yangon.[2] Both Aye Aung and Myo Min Zaw alleged that they were subsequently tortured in custody.[2] At a press conference on 8 October 1998, the government announced that they had discovered a plot by Myo Min Zaw to “create disturbances in support of the National League for Democracy demand to convene parliament and to object to the ongoing university and college examinations”.[3] Aye Aung and Myo Min Zaw were reportedly denied legal representation at their trial, which was held in Insein prison;[3] Amnesty International also argued that the fairness of their trial was compromised by the press conference given by Burmese officials, in which they presumed the guilt of the two detainees.[3] Both men were found guilty, and the court ordered that the sentences for each charge must be served cumulatively, rather than concurrently.[3] As a result, Aye Aung was sentenced to a 59-year prison term, which he is currently serving in Kale prison in Burma's northwestern Sagaing Region; Myo Min Zaw was sentenced to 52 years.[2]
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has alleged that conditions of Aye Aung's imprisonment are poor.[4] In January 2005, his family reported that he was suffering from malaria, which was being worsened by prison officials denying him blankets in the winter.[4][5] His mother stated that he was also suffering from gastric disease and severe back pain due to prison conditions.[1]