Campaigning for a trade union leader Myanmar

On 1 May 2024, Amnesty International launched a solidarity action for the young trade union leader Thet Hnin Aung in Myanmar. He has been imprisoned since 2021 because he opposed the military junta. During the major May Day celebrations in the Martin Luther King Park in Amsterdam, people were invited to visit Mondiaal FNV’s stand and to support Thet Hnin Aung.

Join Amnesty International’s letterwriting campaign for Thet Hnin Aung

Thet Hnin Aung (33) is a young, prominent trade union leader who was elected Secretary-General of the Myanmar Industry Craft Service - Trade Unions Federation (MICS-TUsF) for the first time at a very young age. He was committed to the fight against discrimination, to equal opportunities for women, to a safe working environment, and to fair working conditions in his country.

Opposition to the military junta

On 26 June 2021, Thet Hnin Aung was arrested and imprisoned for participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), a widespread, non-violent resistance movement against the military junta in Myanmar, which seized power in a coup on 1 February 2021.

Freed but immediately imprisoned again

After two years’ imprisonment, Thet Hnin Aung was released on 26 June 2023. However, to everyone’s astonishment, the military junta recaptured him before he even had a chance to reunite with his family. For almost five months, he was kept in isolation at the South Dagon military interrogation centre. On 15 November 2023, using a prison guard’s phone, Thet Hnin Aung managed to contact his family and tell them he had been transferred to Insein Prison.

Seven years of forced labour

In addition, Thet Hnin Aung revealed that he had been charged under Article 52a of Myanmar’s anti-terrorism law, and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with forced labour following a trial before a military court. Early in December 2023, Thet Hnin’s family filed a request for his release with Yangon’s regional military head quarters, but their appeal was denied on 25 April 2024.

Health impact of Thet Hnin’s military detention

As a result of torture and abuse during his military detention in 2021, Thet Hnin Aung has suffered hearing loss and digestion problems. In addition, Thet was harshly beaten and detained in solitary confinement at Insein Prison for organising an in-prison strike in celebration of the International Human Rights Day in 2021.

Click here to read a statement of the trade union in Myanmar relating to Thet Hnin’s case

Mondiaal FNV supports Thet Hnin Aung

Mondiaal FNV supports a lawyers alliance that defends over 200 trade union members and human rights activists from Myanmar who are currently detained. The lawyers are trying to record the events as accurately as possible in order to substantiate their case effectively. Where necessary, we also provide legal aid to arrested trade union activists and their families.

More details and stories in Infographic

For three years, we have been gathering information from different sources to record violations of human rights against workers in the country. Please refer to the infographic for more details and stories about events over the past three years. These include multiple grave violations of human rights relating to freedom of assembly and association and to freedom of speech.