Ko Ni

Ko Ni (Burmese: ကိုနီ, pronounced: [kò nì]; also known as U Ko Ni) (11 February 1953 – 29 January 2017) was a prominent Burmese lawyer and an expert on constitutional law. He was assassinated in Yangon, Myanmar, on 29 January 2017.

Ko Ni was born near Katha in Sagaing Division, Myanmar. A Burmese Muslim, his father was Sultan, a Bengali Muslim from India, and his mother was Khin Hla (also known as Halima), a Burmese Buddhist. His father had come to Burma in the early 1900s through his work with the British Indian army. His mother herself had a Muslim father and a Buddhist mother.

Ko Ni was a founder of Laurel Law Firm, and a member of the International Bar Association, the Independent Lawyers' Association of Myanmar, and the Myanmar Writers' Association. He joined the National League for Democracy (NLD) officially on 8 October 2013, after being a legal advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi for many years before that. He was credited with finding loopholes in the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar and in particular with creating the office of state counsellor, which enabled Aung San Suu Kyi to become the de facto head of government in 2016. He advocated constitutional change in Myanmar, believing that the 2008 Constitution, which was drafted by the military, should be replaced and not merely amended. He wrote six books on human rights issues and democratic elections, and was actively involved in the interfaith movement. He also spoke out against the Myanmar nationality law that stripped the Muslim minority Rohingya of Burmese citizenship.

Ko Ni was assassinated on 29 January 2017 at Yangon International Airport on his way back from attending a senior leadership program in Indonesia, studying democracy and conflict resolution, with a delegation led by Pe Myint, the Union Minister for Information. He had previously received death threats from Buddhist extremists.

Arrest and motives

Police arrested Kyi Lin, the gunman, shortly after the shooting. Allegations emerged in social media that Kyaw Swe, the Minister of Home Affairs and former Commander of South-west Command in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region had orchestrated the killing. The assistant secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, Maung Maung Myint, issued a statement on 1 February 2017, denying the allegations as "rumors."

Funeral

His funeral was thousands of mourners, regardless of religious affiliation. Notably absent among the mourners was Aung San Suu Kyi.

Reactions

Senior NLD leader Tin Oo described Ko Ni's death as a "great loss for the country, for democratic forces and for us (the party)". US Ambassador Scot Marciel said: "All I want to say is, of course we are all shocked and really sad. I knew Ko Ni and his commitment to his country and democracy."

Amnesty International said the killing had "all the hallmarks of an assassination". It called for a thorough investigation into the death of a man it described as a "tireless human rights campaigner".