Bo Kyi is was a student leader at Rangoon Univeristy in Burma when he

helped to organize nationwide demonstrations aimed at establishing

democracy in the country.  He became a central executive committee

member of Burma's national student union and served as personal

assistant to the chairman.  He was arrested and sentenced to prison

twice in Burma after refusing to serve as an informer for the ruling

military regime.  In prison, he suffered severe torture at the hands of

the ruling military regime.  He served a total of seven years behind

bars as a political prisoner and Amnesty International prisoner of

conscience.  In 1999 he fled from Burma and in 2000 he established the

Assistance Association for Politcal Prisoners in Burma, which works to

provide information to the international community about torture and

political prisoners in Burma.  AAPP's authoritative reports on prison

conditions in Burma have been cited by the US State Department, United

Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross, and others.  On

December 1st, 2005 his organization released a new report on torture in

Burma .  Reacting to the report, Senator John McCain said, "This report

demonstrates that torture of political prisoners is a state policy of

Burma 's junta.  All Americans, who stand by the Burmese people in their