Khun Bedu

Khun Bedu (born 1984) is an ethnically Karenni Burmese political activist who was imprisoned from 2008 to 2012 for organizing protests against the 2008 Constitutional Referendum. He is the leader of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, an armed resistance/defence force and pro democracy group participating in the country's ongoing civil war. Khun Bedu is a devout Christian and believes in the fair treatment of enemies and encompasses his value system and beliefs to fight for freedom and justice for everyone regardless of ethnicity and faith. He was also democratically elected leader in the NUG. He draws inspiration from world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Golda Meir, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Lee Kuan Yew.

Involvement in protests In 2004, Khun Bedu joined the human rights group Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY). He was appointed the group's joint secretary on 12 August 2007. In this role, he led trainings on human rights issues, community organizing, constitutional issues, and election systems. that the Ministry of Home Affairs would fall exclusively under military control, Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, called on eligible citizens to vote "no" in the referendum, and claimed their campaign was violently suppressed by government officials as a result.

Arrest and imprisonment The KNGY human rights group also announced its opposition to the referendum. Khun Bedu, along with Khun Kawrio and Khun Dee De, reportedly organized members to protest the vote in Loikaw and Demo Soe, Kayah State. On 27 April, the words "no" and "vote no" began to appear on government signs, and on 30 April, group members sprayed a large "X" on a sign by the Loikaw city hall reading "To be a prosperous and developed nation, let’s support the referendum".

International attention Khun Bedu served his sentence in Taungoo prison of Bago Division.

In 2010, British Shadow Treasury Minister David Hanson spoke out on behalf of Khun Bedu and other Burmese political prisoners, stating that "Just days before the Burmese elections I want to show my support for those political prisoners who are unfairly imprisoned purely for speaking out against an unjust regime ... We must not forget them and must each do our bit to remind the world of their plight."

Release According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Khun Bedu was pardoned on 13 January 2012, as part of a series of amnesties for political prisoners.