No Rights Behind Junta Bars

October 25th, 2024  •  Author:   Progressive Voice  •  7 minute read
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“The killing of political prisoners in detainment is yet another mechanism of repression deployed by the junta, as killing individuals known to be part of the pro-democracy movement sends a wider message…that opposition to the junta comes with fatal consequences, thus ensuring that those who oppose its rule live in constant fear, or relinquish their opposition as a result of such fear.”

The plight of political prisoners in Myanmar has become increasingly dire, as reports of torture, enforced disappearances, and inadequate access to medical care continue to surface. The military junta’s ill-treatment of political prisoners, including torture, may amount to crimes against humanity. This pervasive violence demands urgent international action and accountability to address the junta’s systematic abuses within and outside its prisons.

On 8 October, in the latest alarming case, eight political prisoners in junta-run Daik-U Prison, Bago Region, went missing. Families of the disappeared have now spent over a week in anguish, fearing that their loved ones may have met the same fate as at least 13 other political prisoners whom the junta killed after removing them from their prison cells in 2023. The junta’s pattern of brutally abusing political prisoners and denying information about their whereabouts highlight its use of enforced disappearances as a tool of repression.

Recent violent attacks on political prisoners in Daik-U Prison also illustrate a disturbing pattern of systematic brutality that transcends individual cases. On 19 August 2024, junta prison staff violently attacked female political prisoners with slingshots after the prisoners raised concerns about male prison staff invading their bathing area. Eight women were critically injured. Similarly, in June 2024, junta prison staff violently shot at over 40 female prisoners who had been transferred from Kyaikmaraw Prison, Mon State, to Daik-U Prison, and denied them essential medical care.

On 19 September, the junta arrested four leaders of the Yangon strike movement and, on 11 October, moved them to Yangon’s Insein Prison, brutally torturing them during interrogation. The junta also continues to actively target LGBTQIA+ individuals, persecuting them for their identities within and outside its prisons. In May 2024, junta prison staff sexually tortured a transgender woman at Mandalay’s Obo Prison.

In 2024 alone, the junta has killed at least 12 political prisoners by depriving them of necessary medical care. Among the latest victims is Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, a former Chief Minister of Mandalay Region, who died after being denied adequate medical treatment during junta custody at Mandalay’s Obo Prison. The denial of medical care to political prisoners, which may amount to torture, is a decades-old form of punishment and control by the Myanmar military, making clear the current junta’s deliberate and systematic effort to eliminate its political opponents by subjecting them to inhuman conditions. In many cases, the junta denies prisoners even the most basic healthcare, such as treatment for infections or chronic conditions, leading to preventable deaths.

The junta’s widespread and systematic use of torture, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, and ill-treatment—during interrogation and detention—constitute grave violations of international human rights law and may amount to crimes against humanity.

The Myanmar military has a long history of subjecting political prisoners to torture and ill-treatment. Over the years, political detainees have borne the brunt of military-sponsored violence, and this has only worsened under the current junta, which has arrested at least 27,569 people since its failed coup.

Prisons, once a tool of repression, have now evolved into a more systematic and deadly mechanism in the junta’s overall plan to defeat the people’s revolution. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners’ latest report, “The killing of political prisoners in detainment is yet another mechanism of repression deployed by the junta, as killing individuals known to be part of the pro-democracy movement sends a wider message…that opposition to the junta comes with fatal consequences, thus ensuring that those who oppose its rule live in constant fear, or relinquish their opposition as a result of such fear.”

The junta has likewise intensified its isolation of political prisoners, transferring them to distant prisons, making it increasingly difficult for families to visit. This was seen in the mass transfer of political prisoners from Sittwe Prison in Rakhine State to another part of the country on 8 October. This strategy acts as psychological warfare to deter resistance by instilling fear of retaliation for any defiance.

The junta’s systematic violence and repression will not be halted unless and until the people’s revolution wins. Dismantling this criminal military institution and holding the perpetrators accountable under international law are not only essential for realizing justice for countless victims and survivors but also for laying the foundations to build a new Myanmar that ends these vicious circles of violence for good.

Going forward, the international community must join hands with the Myanmar people and support their efforts towards realizing justice and building a new Myanmar. The world must hold the military junta accountable for its crimes against political prisoners. Silence and inaction have proven only to embolden the junta to continue its campaign of terror against the people. It is imperative that ASEAN and the wider international community take concrete steps to strengthen existing international justice mechanisms, particularly by referring the crisis to the International Criminal Court or establishing a dedicated prosecutorial mechanism to hold the perpetrators accountable. Political prisoners are not mere victims of the junta’s brutality—they are symbols of the ongoing nationwide resistance to defend democracy and human rights. The international community must stand in solidarity with them, as their courage and resilience continue to inspire the broader struggle for a free, just, and democratic Myanmar.

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[1] One year following the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the former military junta changed the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar overnight. Progressive Voice uses the term ‘Myanmar’ in acknowledgement that most people of the country use this term. However, the deception of inclusiveness and the historical process of coercion by the former State Peace and Development Council military regime into usage of ‘Myanmar’ rather than ‘Burma’ without the consent of the people is recognized and not forgotten. Thus, under certain circumstances, ‘Burma’ is used.


Resources from the past week

actions

Statements and Press Releases

BROUK Denounces Continued Attacks By Arakan Army Against Rohingya In Rakhine State

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Thailand: Rohingya Found Dead During Escape from Myanmar

By Human Rights Watch

မန္တလေးမြို့ရှိ တရုတ်ပြည်သူ့သမ္မတနိုင်ငံကောင်စစ်ဝန်ချုပ်ရုံး တိုက်ခိုက်ခံရသည့်ဖြစ်ရပ်နှင့် စပ်လျဥ်းသည့် ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက်

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Rohingya Refugees Must Be Given Humanitarian Assistance and Protection

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Reports

Burma Coup Watch for the Month of September 2024: Junta Weaponizes Natural Disaster Yet Again

By ALTSEAN-Burma, Asia Democracy Network, Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, Burma Human Rights Network, Initiatives for International Dialogue, International Federation for Human Rights, Progressive Voice, US Campaign for Burma and Women’s Peace Network

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September 2024 Frontline Armed Incident Tracker

By Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica


Progressive Voice is a participatory, rights-based policy research and advocacy organization that was born out of Burma Partnership. Burma Partnership officially ended its work on October 10, 2016 transitioning to a rights-based policy research and advocacy organization called Progressive Voice. For further information, please see our press release “Burma Partnership Celebrates Continuing Regional Solidarity for Burma and Embraces the Work Ahead for Progressive Voice.”