Nyan Win. (Kyodo)

       YANGON (Kyodo) -- Nyan Win, a prominent member of Myanmar's formerly ruling National League for Democracy party and a close aide of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, died of COVID-19 on Tuesday while under detention in the wake of the Feb. 1 military coup, the NLD said.

       The 78-year-old NLD Central Executive Committee member was transferred to a government-run hospital in Yangon on July 11 and died there after contracting the coronavirus in the city's infamous Insein Prison, which is known for holding many political prisoners.

       Nyan Win was also a party spokesman and headed the legal advisory body of Suu Kyi's administration. He served as her lawyer while she was under house arrest during the previous era of military rule.

       Myanmar has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases, with over 5,000 new coronavirus infections on average this week, and is struggling with a shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen.

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