Zayar Thaw was a Burmese politician and hip-hop artist who was detained for the perceived anti-government messages of his lyrics.
12 Facts About Zayar Thaw
2.
Zayar Thaw was a member of Pyithu Hluttaw, the Lower House of the Burmese parliament.
3.
Zayar Thaw was born on 26 March 1981 in Yangon, Myanmar to Mya Thaw, a former rector and his wife Khin Win May, a dentist.
4.
Zayar Thaw attended high school at BEHS No 6 Botahtaung.
5.
Zayar Thaw became known early on for his social activism.
6.
Zayar Thaw was one of four founding members of Generation Wave, a youth movement opposed to the State Peace and Development Council, Burma's military rulers.
7.
Zayar Thaw reportedly developed one of the group's more widespread campaigns, bumper stickers reading "Change New Government" to apply to cars carrying "CNG" stickers.
8.
Zayar Thaw was given an additional year's imprisonment for possession of foreign currency, as he had been carrying approximately $20 USD in Thai baht, Singapore dollars, and Malaysian ringgit at the time of his arrest.
9.
Zayar Thaw served out his sentence at Kawthaung prison and was released on 17 May 2011.
10.
Zayar Thaw was a member of the National League for Democracy.
11.
The junta announced that his execution was imminent in June 2022, and on 23 July 2022, it was announced that Zayar Thaw had been executed alongside three others, including democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu.
12.
Zayar Thaw was married to Thazin Nyunt Aung, a fellow rapper.