Htay Kywe

Htay Kywe (, ) is a repeatedly-imprisoned Burmese pro-democracy activist who was considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International. BBC News describes him as a key member of the 8888 Generation movement. In 1988, his second year at the university, he became an early organizer in the widespread protests against military ruler Ne Win. On 22 March, he and his brother Win Kywe were arrested for their role and detained in Insein Prison until July.

Following the military coup by Saw Maung's State Law and Order Restoration Council, Htay Kywe was one of the student delegates to meet with the general to seek reconciliation. However, the military annulled the results and soon arrested a number of opposition figures, among them Htay Kywe, who was arrested at his home in Yangon in July 1991. In January 2007, they were released, without official explanation for either their original arrest or their sudden release. The largest of these rallies drew over one hundred thousand protesters, most notably a number of Buddhist monks, giving the uprising the popular nickname "The Saffron Revolution" for the color of their robes.

Following a government crackdown on protestors, members of the 88 Generation Students Group were swiftly arrested. Security forces posted his photograph in hotels, raided homes, and searched buses for him at checkpoints. Other charges against Htay Kwe are still pending.

Htay Kywe is serving his sentence in Buthitaung Prison in Rakhine State. In August 2010, he issued a statement through family members protesting the upcoming 2010 general election, stating that it would be "insignificant without the participation of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi."

International response Htay Kywe's repeated arrests were condemned by numerous human rights organizations. Amnesty International considered him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release. as did Front Line.

The US State Department protested Htay Kywe's arrest, and British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg declared that "this Government will not rest until Htay Kywe and other political prisoners like him are free." United Nations Special Rapporteur Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro also called for the activist's release.

Release Htay Kywe was released on 13 January 2012 in a mass presidential pardon of political prisoners.