Wai Moe Naing

Image Credit: Anonymous

A writer, pro-democracy activist, and member of PEN Myanmar, Wai Moe Naing continued to serve a combined sentence of 74 years in prison at the end of the year following multiple convictions, including rioting, robbery, incitement, and murder. PEN International believes he is being targeted for his leadership in the anti-coup movement. 

Wai Moe Naing was arrested on 15 April 2021 during a protest in the Monywa region. According to reports, junta forces rammed him with a vehicle. When he fled, armed men assaulted him and a female protester.  

Since his arrest, Wai Moe Naing has faced serious fair trial violations, including military court hearings held behind closed doors and the effective denial of legal representation after his lawyers were arrested. Between August 2022 and May 2024, he was sentenced in a series of closed-door military court proceedings (see Case Lists 2021-2025). Following his transfer from Monywa Prison to Obo Prison in Mandalay on 12 June 2025, he was reportedly beaten by prison staff, sustaining a fractured wrist and head injuries requiring stitches, but was denied adequate medical care. 

He is currently held in solitary confinement. His family reports that prolonged isolation, lack of movement, and poor ventilation have contributed to serious health problems, including gout and chronic skin conditions. Family visits were denied for months following his transfer and remain infrequent.  

Born on 26 September 1995, Wai Moe Naing is a youth activist, writer, and member of PEN Myanmar. He began writing at age 13, publishing in Teen Magazine, Khit Yanantthit Magazine, and Pae Tin Tharn Journal. Following the February 2021 military coup, he emerged as a leader of the protest movement and helped popularise the practice of banging pots and pans as a form of resistance. 

Image Credit: Anonymous