2020 M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award winner
Kyaw Yin Hlaing
Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing has been granted the 2020 M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award in recognition of (a) his tireless efforts towards domestic fact-finding and accountability before courts in Myanmar for alleged violations in northern Rakhine State in Myanmar in 2017; (b) his dedicated and creative initiatives to increase trust, reconciliation and unity among members of different religious communities in Rakhine State; (c) his leadership of the non-governmental think-tank ‘Center for Diversity and National Harmony’ (CDNH), which, among its activities, produces in-depth studies of living conditions in minority communities (such as Shan State) as well as the leading news service on developments in Myanmar used extensively by members of the international and diplomatic communities in the country and abroad; (d) his unambiguous and courageous public statements against prejudice and backbiting and their corrosive effects on inter-communal relations and the civic mindset; (e) his willingness to transcend traditional party-political or civil-military divides in the pursuit of the objectives of CDNH projects; and (f) his personal qualities of wilful determination to take action and achieve results, straightforward communication, and sense of responsibility.
Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing is the Executive Director of the Center for Diversity and National Harmony in Yangon, Myanmar (since 2015). He has previously served as an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore (2001-2007) and the City University of Hong Kong (2007-2013), where he was also the Coordinator of the Development Studies Program (2008-2013) and Associate Director of the Southeast Asian Research Center (2012-2013). He was the Director of the Political Dialogue Program of the Myanmar Peace Center and an Adviser to the President of the Union of Myanmar (2013-2015). He holds a B.A. (Hons.) from Mandalay University, and M.A. (Government) and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University.
The 2020 Award Committee consisted of Professors LING Yan (China University of Political Science and Law), Assistant Professor CHEAH Wui Ling (National University of Singapore), Mr. Arne Willy Dahl (former Judge Advocate General, Norway), Mr. Devasheesh Bais (Secretary), and CILRAP Director Morten Bergsmo (Chair). The decision was by consensus.
