The military council and prison authorities are conducting prison transfers targeting political prisoners as a military-style operation, according to Ma Su Ngai, Deputy Communications Officer of Myanmar Prison Witness. Prison authorities are deliberately carrying out these transfers with the aim of breaking unity among political prisoners within prisons, making communication with family members difficult, demoralizing prisoners, preventing prison activities, and covering up corruption by prison staff. The monitoring by Myanmar Prison Witness has revealed that between 1,500 to 3,500 prisoners are annually transferred to prisons far from their families as part of what appears to be a systematic operation.
In June 2023, around 200 prisoners from Monywa Prison were transferred to Obo Prison. Upon arrival at Obo Prison, political prisoners including Ko Wai Moe Naing, a leader of the Monywa protest movement, were brutally beaten by Assistant Supervisor Yan Naing Lin and other junior staff. The Deputy Director of Obo Prison, Thein Zaw Maung, was present during the beatings but did not intervene to stop them. In 2023, there were 12 prison transfers involving 883 political prisoners. In 2024, the number increased to 3,054 transfers, with 1,893 political prisoners among them. In the first six months of 2025, there have been 950 transfers, including approximately 90 political prisoners.
The transfers are typically conducted during weekends and holidays, often late at night or early morning when there are few witnesses. These transfers have resulted in significant hardships for political prisoners, including separation from families, loss of visitation rights, difficulties with food and package deliveries, and disconnection from support organizations that had been providing assistance. The military council deliberately conducts these transfers without prior notice to either the prisoners or their families, choosing times when external observation is minimal. This systematic approach to prison transfers appears designed to maximize the psychological and physical impact on political prisoners while minimizing outside scrutiny and support networks.
