Esther Htusan is a journalist, photographer and human rights defender from Myanmar. She was born in the northernmost part of Myanmar and belongs to the ethnic minority of the Kachin. From her early childhood, Esther experienced civil war in her region. After she finished her studies in mathematics at the University of Myitkyina she moved to Yangon to study English and political science.

In Yangon, she started to work as a foreign correspondent for Associated Press. Esther and her colleagues investigated and wrote about the confiscation of farmland by the Myanmar military, human trafficking and slavery in the seafood industry in Southeast Asia and the displacement and genocide of the Rohingyas by Myanmar's military.

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The release of the documentary about enslaved Burmese fishermen, and their ordeal while chained and locked in cages without enough food and water led to the rescue of 2000 of those fishermen. In 2016 Esther and her colleagues won the Pulitzer Prize for this documentary. Esther's articles and photos have been featured in international outlets such as The Washington Post, The Daily Mail and the Guardian. Her work has been recognized numerous times. Among others, she received the Goldsmith prize, the Anthony Lewis Prize and the Michael Kelly Award for her fearless pursuit and expression of truth.

But after receiving many severe threats to her life, she feared especially for the safety of her family and was forced to flee to Thailand. Esther is now living and working as a freelance journalist in the United States.