A member of the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) Central Committee, Ko Thaik Tun Oo, has revealed that a political prisoner, Ko Aung Thu Htet, suffered a dislocated shoulder after being beaten by a prison staff member named Soe Min at Thayarwaddy Prison in Bago Region. The incident occurred on the morning of July 6th, when prison staff member Soe Min accused Ko Aung Thu Htet of fighting with another prisoner and proceeded to beat him severely.
Soe Min has a history of physically abusing political prisoners and has received multiple complaints for beating political prisoners who were transferred to Thayarwaddy Prison. The situation at Thayarwaddy Prison, under the leadership of Prison Warden Ye Htet Naing, involves systematic oppression of prisoners from the top administration down to lower-level staff. Prison authorities not only fail to take action against those who oppress political prisoners but are also reportedly directing such oppression from behind the scenes.
After the beating incident, prison authorities initially denied Ko Aung Thu Htet medical treatment and only allowed him to receive care after other political prisoners demanded it. Subsequently, Ko Aung Thu Htet was placed in solitary confinement under the pretense of being a troublemaker. The only action taken against prison staff member Soe Min was restricting his outside access privileges and reassigning him to a different position within Thayarwaddy Prison, with no effective disciplinary measures being implemented, according to PPNM’s statement.
In prisons under military council control, prison staff continue to commit human rights violations and abuse against political prisoners, with these actions becoming increasingly severe due to prison authorities’ deliberate negligence in addressing such incidents. The PPNM has demanded that prison authorities take immediate action to stop these illegal beatings and abuses, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention to protect the rights and safety of political prisoners. The systematic nature of these abuses, coupled with the lack of accountability, highlights the ongoing crisis facing political prisoners in Myanmar’s detention facilities under military control.
