others had been for their role in the August 2007 demonstrations. On 15 November 2008 Min Ko Naing was transferred to Kengtung prison in Shan State, where isolated, bleak cells were constructed in mid-2000 for solitary confinement. Release and political career Min Ko Naing was released along with numerous other activists on 13 January 2012, as part of a mass presidential pardon for political activists. It was believed that he would contest the 2015 general elections for a seat in Assembly of the Union, but he did not. Many observers have said that beyond Aung Sann Suu Kyi, he and his colleagues are best suited to steer the country's political landscape. He has been on the run following the military coup on February 1, 2021. He has urged the public to take a "no recognition, no participation" approach to the new military regime and called on people to work together to protest against the coup. On 13 February 2021, in the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Min Ko Naing and six other high-profile individuals, namely Kyaw Min Yu, Myo Yan Naung Thein, Insein Aung Soe, Mg Mg Aye, Pencilo, and Lynn Lynn were charged and issued arrest warrants under section 505 (b) of the penal code by the State Administration Council for inciting unrest against the state and threatening "public tranquility" through their social media posts. International recognition Min Ko Naing has won numerous international awards for his activism. These include the 2009 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights; the 2005 Civil Courage Prize, which he shared with Anna Politkovskaya and Munir Said Thalib; the 2000 Homo Homini Award of People In Need; the 2001 Student Peace Prize; and the 1999 John Humphrey Freedom Award, which he shared with Cynthia Maung of the Mae Tao Clinic. In 2012, he was announced the winner of an award from the US National Endowment for Democracy, but stated his intention not to attend the ceremony in solidarity with other Burmese activists who had been denied visas. Rohingya genocide In a press conference, September 13, 2017—at the height of the Rohingya genocide (the persecution of, and attacks upon, Myanmar's mostly-Muslim ethnic minority, the Rohingya) -- Min Ko Naing reportedly appeared with a group of 88 Generation Peace and Open Society activists, at which the attendees issued a written statement denying the version of events portrayed in prominent international media. Speaking at the event,