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U of L Lecture Focuses On Rohinga Muslims In Myanmar

A human rights activist who was held for seven years as a political prisoner in Myanmar will speak Wednesday evening at the University of Louisville.

Wai Wai Nu and her entire family were arrested in 2005 while she was in college studying law; her father was a political activist.

Released in 2012, she is now an outspoken advocate for Rohinga Muslims, whose citizenship in the country was revoked in 1982. Many Rohinga Muslims have died in recent months as part of the ongoing refugee crisis.

Nu said the Rohinga have been completely marginalized.

"I feel like Rohinga were put in a cage without human rights or dignity," she said in an interview with WFPL News.

In the years since her release, Nu founded and now directs the Women Peace Network-Arakan, which campaigns around the world for women's rights. She is also the co-founder of Justice for Women, an organization that leads women’s empowerment and basic legal education training.

As for the education that was put on hold by her family's arrest, she returned to school and recently completed her law degree.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has been an outspoken advocate for political reform in Myanmar.

Wai Wai Nu will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Brown & Williamson Club in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit here.