The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) has confirmed in a report released on September 20 that political prisoners were indeed killed in an explosion at Obo Prison in Mandalay. According to Ko Thet Tun Oo, a central committee member of PPNM, the explosion on August 8 resulted in the deaths of 17 political prisoners and at least 4 criminal inmates, with at least 10 others injured, five of whom required emergency medical treatment. This confirmation comes after extensive verification efforts following the military’s attempts to dismiss the incident as false news.
The military council had attempted to discredit these reports on August 16 and 17, claiming them to be misinformation. In response, PPNM took over a month to thoroughly investigate the incident, gathering and verifying information from at least 12 different sources before releasing their comprehensive report. Ko Thet Tun Oo explained that while both the Prison Department and military systematically attempted to prevent news of deaths in prisons from reaching the public, the truth cannot be suppressed indefinitely. The organization’s methodical approach to verification and documentation demonstrates their commitment to ensuring accurate reporting of such incidents.
The PPNM report includes detailed information about the deceased political prisoners, including their names, their fathers’ names, the sections under which they were sentenced, and the courts that convicted them. The organization emphasized that this report was published with courage to ensure justice for the victims and to maintain their dignity. Despite attempts to cover up the explosion and subsequent deaths within the prison, PPNM pursued this investigation to provide justice for the families and survivors. The report stands as a testament to their dedication to documenting human rights violations and ensuring that such incidents are not forgotten or dismissed as mere propaganda.
