From Dictatorship to Democracy and Back Again

Thin Lei Win

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2026 OFF
She watched Burma begin to open up after decades of military rule, then saw a coup try to drag the country backward. At the Oslo Freedom Forum, journalist Thin Lei Win reflects on the fear woven into everyday life under dictatorship and why independent journalism remains one of the strongest defenses against authoritarianism. She continues to shine a light on the lives of ordinary people confronting the junta.

About the Speaker

Thin Lei Win

Thin

Lei Win

Burmese Journalist and Co-Founder of The Kite Tales

Born and raised in Myanmar, Thin Lei Win is an award-winning multimedia journalist with two decades of experience reporting from many parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe. Thin established Myanmar Now, an award-winning bilingual news agency, on the eve of the historic 2015 elections and co-founded The Kite Tales, a unique storytelling project that chronicles the lives of ordinary people across Myanmar and that now supports the country’s struggling journalists. She is also Lead Reporter for the Food Systems Newsroom of Lighthouse Reports, a collaborative journalism outlet focusing on public interest investigations, and curates her own newsletter Thin Ink.

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