WAI Hnin knows she will never see her father – a political prisoner in Burma – again.

Her ardent campaigning to highlight his plight and human rights abuses in the country only serve to guarantee he will die behind bars.

Wai visited Essex University as part of a programme of events for Human Rights Day, which marks the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

In Britain, the term human rights has joined data protection and health and safety among the bugbears of the “political correctness gone mad” brigade.

But, in countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe and Brazil to Yemen, it refers to discrimination, detention without trial and police brutality.

Wai’s father, Mya Aye, was sentenced to 65 years in prison for his role in leading protests in 2007 which focused international attention on the repressive military junta which rules Burma.

He had earlier served an eight-year sentence for his role in the “88 Generation” student protests in 1988.

Wai, 20, said: “I was about five months old when my father was first imprisoned.

“I really wasn’t aware I had a father, but my mother talked about him, showed me pictures and said he had to live in a different place.

“When I was four, we were allowed to visit him in prison, but I had no idea what that meant.

“I thought he was rich and had to live in a big building with guards, but the bars meant we couldn’t have the hugs I wanted.”

Mya Aye was released from prison in 1996, but was kept on a tight leash by the authorities.

Wai said: “Military intelligence would visit nearly every day and we were always scared that they would come for him again.

“They ruined all my family’s businesses and I had a very difficult childhood.

“I had friends but couldn’t talk to them about my family because they were scared.

“My sister was born in 2001 and I asked my father why he was still so active and causing problems for us when he had a family to care for.

“He explained it is impossible for people to have a peaceful and friendly life in Burma under the current regime and that is what he is fighting for.

“I came to understand that as I grew up.”

Wai came to Britain to study at Westminster University.

She said: “I got a passport quite easily, but I was harassed at the airport and wasn’t allowed to take any money, family letters or pictures out of the country. They thought I was a spy.

“I have not been back and I won’t be allowed to return.

“Before I came to Britain, I had heard about the value of human rights, democracy and freedom from my father but didn’t realise what it meant.

“I now know how precious these rights are and want the Burmese people to have them.

“In this country we do not realise how lucky we are to have freedoms we can use to raise awareness about other countries that do not.”

Wai’s campaigning has caused problems for her father, who is 43 and suffers heart problems.

She said: “A few months ago, the government cancelled prison visits and withdrew medical treatment, so I stopped (campaigning), but two months ago my mother was allowed to see him and so I started again.

“I feel guilty this happens, but I have to do something as otherwise my father will die in jail in vain and he has told my mother that he wants me to continue.”

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is just one of the countries highlighted by students at Wivenhoe Park, with many able to tell personal stories of human rights violations.

Turgut Gambar, who is studying for a post-graduate degree in human rights, is from Azerbaijan and is friendly with youth activists Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hajizada.

The pair were beaten up in a restaurant in July. When they complained to police, they were arrested and sentenced to 30 and 24 months’ imprisonment respectively on charges of hooliganism.

Amnesty International has described the men as “prisoners of conscience” and says the charges were fabricated to punish their dissenting views.

Turgut said: “Azerbaijan has a democratic constitution that promises all the liberties but it has never happened.”

Young people have begun to agitate over Emin Abdullayev and Adnan Hajizada.

Turgut said: “All western governments and international human rights organisations have condemned their arrest, but the government is not bothered.

“We have the opportunity to highlight the abuses in Azerbaijan to raise awareness, embarrass the government and hopefully increase international pressure on it to change.”