Ko Ni

Infobox person honorific_prefix = U name = Ko Ni image =

caption = birth_name = native_name = birth_date = birth_place = Katha, Sagaing Division, Burma death_date = death_place = Yangon death_cause = Assassination resting_place = Yayway Cemetery other_names = education = B.A. (1975), LL.B. (1976) He was assassinated by gunshot in Yangon, Myanmar, on 29 January 2017.

Early life and education Ko Ni was born near Katha in Sagaing Division, Burma (now Myanmar) to a poor family of farmers and shopkeepers. A Burmese Muslim, his father was Sultan Mohamed, a Muslim from India, and his mother was Khin Hla (also known as Halima),

Ko Ni worked as a day laborer to pay for his undergraduate studies.

Political career 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 also spoke out against the Myanmar nationality law that stripped the Muslim minority Rohingya of Burmese citizenship.

Assassination Ko Ni was fatally shot 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, 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.

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." The latter's brother, Aung Win Tun, received a three year sentence for hiding his brother after the killing.

In September 2020, prosecutors submitted a special appeal to the Supreme Court of Myanmar to mete out harsher sentences to those involved in Ko Ni's murder.

Personal life Ko Ni was married to Tin Tin Aye, with whom he had three children. One of his daughters, Yin Nwe Khaing, is a medical doctor.