Zarganar, the famed Burmese comedian/satirist and fearless critic of Burma’s military government, has spoken out after a long silence in a web video released by the US Campaign for Burma.
Zarganar (whose name translates to English as “Tweezers”) was first banned from speaking and performing in 2006, and then charged with “public order offenses” and sentenced to 59 years in prison in 2008. He was finally freed in the most recent amnesty of Burmese political prisoners this past October. His has been an important voice in the movement for democracy in Burma – Zarganar and his work are even dramatized in Luc Besson’s recent Aung San Suu Kyi biopic The Lady, recently previewed and reviewed for Lion’s Roar (see that review here) – and, though he says little besides “thank you” in the video, just to see him and hear his voice is encouraging. You can watch the video here, after the jump.
