Five years after the coup of February 2021, Myanmar remains under military rule. The armed forces continue to dominate political and institutional life, suppressing protests, violating human rights and placing severe pressure on minorities and activists. Civil war persists in many regions of the country, with clashes between the army and ethnic resistance groups or opposition forces.
Dr Thurein, a member of an ethnic and religious minority, an activist and a scholar of social movements, is currently a researcher at the University of Bologna through the Scholars at Risk programme, which each years provides anctuary and assistance to more than three hundred threatened scholars worldwide. He shares his commitment to freedom and justice, and his hope of contributing to a better future for the country.
You grew up in Myanmar as a member of an ethnic and religious minority. When did you realise that human rights would become central to your work, both as an activist and as a researcher?
It goes back to when I was in high school, or even primary school: I didn’t like the way I was treated. I realised I had to make my voice heard. That commitment has evolved over time.
Can you share a particular episode?
When I was in high school, the Saffron Revolution broke out in 2007. Buddhist monks marched and chanted, calling on the military to step down and improve the country. They were met with brutal repression. I was among the protesters, and the first shooting happened right in front of me. That moment changed my life - I realised I had to act.
After graduating in 2017, I worked for the Danish Refugee Council in Rakhine State, alongside the Rohingya minority, during one of the most severe humanitarian crises in recent history. That experience strengthened my commitment to marginalised communities.
Then, in 2021, came the Spring Revolution: people took to the streets to protest the military coup in Myanmar. I took part as well - I was one of the organisers working against the coup in my hometown.
All these experiences led me to my current work as an activist and researcher focusing on human rights violations and on what is happening in Myanmar. It is something that has developed within me over time.
After the 2021 coup, universities became centres of protest. What role can they play in defending human rights?
If we look at Myanmar through the lens of social movements, universities have always been places where unheard voices can find expression. During the nationwide uprising of 1988, they played a decisive role in defending human rights. The same was true in 1962, in 1974 and, more recently, in 2021 - universities have consistently been crucial in promoting human rights.
They have the power to provide spaces for collective action and the responsibility to educate new generations to recognise what is right and what is wrong. They can defend the rights of marginalised communities not only in relation to governments, but also on the global stage.
Those who fight for human rights also experience fear and discouragement. Have there been moments when you felt discouraged?
Yes, especially when I see that many people are unaware of what is happening in Myanmar, while situations in Palestine, Ukraine and, more recently, Iran are widely known.
The Myanmar military has arrested 30,634 activists, student activists and people opposing the regime, and 7,887 have been killed.
The situation in Myanmar is now comparable to a civil war and must not be ignored!
What can the international community concretely do to support the Burmese people fighting for human rights?
It is essential to reject the sham elections planned for 2025–2026, impose an arms embargo and restrict access to aviation fuel to stop air strikes against civilians, apply targeted sanctions against military-owned businesses, and ensure the complete removal of the military from power.
There should also be direct flows of resources to resistance groups or to the territories under their control.
I also believe that Burmese citizens are often perceived as a threat. The United Kingdom, for example, has started to revoke or refuse visas, even for those who had already been admitted to British universities. We are not a threat - we are seeking freedom and justice.
Do you think you will one day return to Myanmar to put what you have learned at the service of the country? Or do you imagine returning to a country that is finally free?
I will buy a plane ticket as soon as the military regime is overthrown. I am studying because I want to help build the future of my country - that is my dream.
If you had to sum up in one sentence what it means to progress, to “flourish”, for you and for the Burmese people, what would you say?
To flourish means restoring political freedom, social justice and the conditions in which different communities can live with dignity and equal rights.
