A former prisoner of conscience, Zarganar is widely considered to be the most popular comedian and satirist in Myanmar. In 2008, Zarganar was sentenced to 59 years in prison for speaking to foreign media about the devastation that followed cyclone Nargis. His efforts were rewarded with the Lillian Hellman and Dashiel Hammett Award by the Fund for Free Expression and the One Humanity Award by PEN Canada. In October 2011, Zarganar was free in a mass amnesty of political prisoners. He has since been active in Myanmar’s push for democracy and recently met with US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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