U Shwe Maung, also known as Abdul Razak, is a Rohingya politician and rights activist from Buthidaung, Arakan, who won a seat in Myanmar's House of Representatives (Pyithu Hluttaw) in the 2010 general election. During his 2011–2016 term he used his position to advocate for Rohingya rights and reconciliation in Rakhine State, but ahead of the 2015 election the Union Election Commission barred him from running, citing alleged citizenship issues concerning his parents. He later became a board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights and President of the Arakan Institute for Peace and Human Rights (AiPAH).
Elected in 2010, barred in 2015
U Shwe Maung was born on 30 June 1965 in Buthidaung, Arakan (now Rakhine State), to Rohingya Muslim parents Abdul Hadi and Aye Sein. He entered politics and won a seat in Myanmar’s House of Representatives (Pyithu Hluttaw) in the 2010 general election, becoming the only Rohingya MP in the national legislature at the time.
During his term (2011–2016), he served on the Reform and Modernization Assessment Committee and used his position to advocate for Rohingya rights and reconciliation in Rakhine State. He later became a board member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a founding member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPP FoRB), and President of the Arakan Institute for Peace and Human Rights (AiPAH).
Ahead of the 2015 general election, the Union Election Commission barred him from running. Authorities cited alleged citizenship issues concerning his parents, who they claimed were not citizens, though he stated the ruling was "illogical and ridiculous," and promised to appeal.
