Student union organiser in the 60s
and the "Saffron Uprising" in 2007 in Burma, Min Ko Naing, was chosen
for the 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award in May. He has been sentenced
to 65 years of imprisonment.
Student union organiser in the 60s
and the "Saffron Uprising" in 2007 in Burma, Min Ko Naing, was chosen
for the 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Award in May. He has been sentenced
to 65 years of imprisonment.

The
Gwangju Prize for Human Rights was established to celebrate the spirit
of May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in South Korea, by recognising both individuals,
groups or institutions in Korea and abroad that have contributed in
promoting and advancing human rights, democracy and peace in their
work. This yearly award is sponsored by the May 18 Memorial Foundation. Below is their statement on this year's winner.

The
situation regarding democracy and human rights in Myanmar/Burma remains
dire. At this very moment, many pro-democracy activists are locked up
in freezing cold cells. The international community has put pressure on
Burma's
military junta, taking consistent interest in the nation's
pro-democracy movement. Despite its efforts, some countries around the
world have turned a deaf ear to the issue due to conflicts of interest.
After the military junta crushed the "Saffron Revolution" with brutal
force, the UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari visited Burma,
meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic leader of the country, in
2008. However, such efforts to demonstrate the international
community's commitment to the region have been to no avail, and have
only led to further disappointment with Burma.

Born in the Burmese capital of Yangon
in 1962, Min Ko Naing organized the All Burma Federation of Student
Unions (ABFSU), a nationwide student union, in 1988. Later, he was
sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for triggering the "8888 Uprising".
After being imprisoned for 15 years, he was released from prison and
continued his pro-democracy resistance. Finally he was re-arrested and
sentenced to 65 years imprisonment for organizing a demonstration which
gave rise to the Saffron Uprising. He is currently serving this
sentence.

According
to an international human rights watchdog, the number of prisoners of
conscience who, like Min Ko Naing, have been arrested and imprisoned
for engaging in protests and anti-government activities, amounts to
about 2,000. In the aftermath of the devastating natural disaster which
hit Burma in May, 2007, the international community tried to reach out to the afflicted country. Burma's
military junta, however, decided to reject this helping hand. To make
matters worse, the authoritarian regime arrested and detained
protesters, killing at least several hundred people, including foreign
journalists, involved in the nationwide demonstration driven by
saffron-robed Buddhist monks.

The 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights Committee has therefore
chosen Min Ko Naing to be this year's prizewinner. Min Ko Naing and his
colleagues have devoted themselves to Burma's
democratization, and it is their devotion that we hope to remember and
share as we commemorate the May 18 Gwangju Uprising. The committee
sincerely desires that Min Ko Naing and other political prisoners be
released as soon as possible, and hopes that democracy will truly take
root in this country.