A political prisoner has died and others were severely tortured after prison authorities at Hpa-an Prison in Karen State beat and confined 12 political prisoners in solitary cells with leg shackles, according to the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM). On June 14 this year, prison authorities forcibly took 12 political prisoners from the Kyeikka ward of Hpa-an Prison, beat them, and sentenced them to three months of solitary confinement with leg shackles. The prison authorities not only beat the political prisoners while transferring them to solitary cells but also continued the beatings inside the confinement area.
As a result of this inhumane torture and abuse, political prisoner Ko Nyan Min Htun died on July 13, while other detained political prisoners suffered numerous injuries. In particular, Ko Zaw Win Aung (aka) Ko Jet, who was identified as a leader by the authorities, was taken out daily for beatings for over a month, resulting in severe physical and psychological trauma. Prison authorities formed a group called the Red Badge Men’s Jail Office, comprising military officers and drug offenders, to carry out beatings of political prisoners. The prisoners were forced to clean algae between dormitories and prison walls daily from 9 AM to 10 AM regardless of weather conditions, while enduring systematic torture from prison authorities.
Prison authorities have threatened to kill all 12 political prisoners in solitary confinement if news of the prison conditions leaks to the outside world. The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar has demanded the immediate release of those in solitary confinement, provision of medical treatment, and accountability for those responsible for the abuse. According to PPNM, over 20,000 political prisoners remain in Myanmar’s prisons, awaiting the day when prison doors will open and they will be freed. The network emphasizes that prisons have become isolated worlds, deliberately separated from public awareness by both the prison department and military authorities, making it crucial for the public to remain vigilant about the conditions faced by political prisoners, including detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others.
