# Shamsul Anwarul Huq (Born 1944)

> Academic, former politician and pro-democracy activist · Buthidaung, Arakan

- Also known as: Kyaw Min
- Known for: Academic, former politician and pro-democracy activist
- Born: 19 March 1944, Buthidaung, Arakan
- Place: Buthidaung, Arakan
- Fields: Politics, Education, Human rights
- Page: https://people.rohingya.ro/people/shamsul-anwarul-huq/

## Summary

Shamsul Anwarul Huq, also known as Kyaw Min, is a Rohingya academic, educator and pro-democracy activist from Buthidaung, Arakan. A former teacher and primary school headmaster, he became a leading figure in the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR) and was elected Member of Parliament for Buthidaung-1 in the 1990 general election, but the military junta banned the party and prevented him from taking his seat. In 1998 Aung San Suu Kyi invited him to join the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP). In 2005 he was arrested and sentenced to 47 years in prison, and the imprisonment of his family with him, including his daughters Wai Wai Nu and Khin Khin Nu, drew international attention to the persecution of Rohingya political figures.

## What he did

- **1944** — Born on 19 March in Buthidaung, Arakan.
- **Education** — Graduated in Economics and obtained a Diploma in Educational Practice from institutions in Rangoon.
- **1969** — Began his career in the Myanmar Education Department, serving as a teacher and primary school headmaster in Arakan and promoting education and literacy in the Rohingya community.
- **1988** — His activism intensified during the pro-democracy movement, leading to his political career and to his dismissal from the education sector.
- **1990** — A leading figure in the NDPHR, he was elected Member of Parliament for the Buthidaung-1 constituency in the general election. (The military junta banned the NDPHR and prevented him from taking his seat, but he continued to campaign for citizenship rights and equality.)
- **1992** — Detained, and detained again in 1994.
- **1998** — Aung San Suu Kyi invited him to join the Committee Representing the People's Parliament (CRPP).
- **2005** — Arrested and sentenced to 47 years in prison. (His imprisonment, alongside that of his wife and children, including his daughters Wai Wai Nu and Khin Khin Nu, drew international attention to the persecution of Rohingya political figures.)

## Biography: From the classroom to the struggle for democracy

Shamsul Anwarul Huq, also known as Kyaw Min, is a distinguished Rohingya academic, educator, and pro-democracy activist born in Buthidaung, Arakan. After graduating in Economics and obtaining a Diploma in Educational Practice from institutions in Rangoon, he began his career in 1969 with the Myanmar Education Department. His early, significant work for the Rohingya community focused on promoting education and literacy, serving as a teacher and primary school headmaster in Arakan.

Huq’s activism intensified during the 1988 pro-democracy movement, leading to his political career and dismissal from the education sector. He became a crucial figure in the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR) and was overwhelmingly elected as a Member of Parliament for the Buthidaung-1 constituency in the 1990 general election. Although the military junta banned the NDPHR and prevented him from taking his seat, he continued to campaign for citizenship rights and equality. His importance to the national pro-democracy struggle was further cemented when Aung San Suu Kyi invited him to join the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP) in 1998.

His decades of peaceful resistance were met with severe persecution. Huq was repeatedly detained in 1992 and 1994, and most dramatically in 2005, when he was arrested and unjustly sentenced to 47 years in prison under discriminatory laws. His imprisonment, alongside that of his wife and children (including his daughters Wai Wai Nu and Khin Khin Nu), drew significant international attention to the systematic persecution of Rohingya political figures.

## Sources

- 1990 Multi-Party Democracy General Elections and The Rohingyas' Enfranchisement - The Stateless Rohingya
- King, Rohang. Moulana Phir Muzaffor: A Short Biography 1927–2006
- Kyaw Min. Rohingya History: Reality, Devoid of Myth.

## Photographs

- ![Photograph of Shamsul Anwarul Huq](https://people.rohingya.ro/photos/shamsul-anwarul-huq-2.webp) (Website unknown (image hosted on exactdn.com))

---
From Rohingya Famous People, https://people.rohingya.ro/people/shamsul-anwarul-huq/ (updated 2026-11-04)