According to sources close to Magway Prison, there has been a significant increase in the number of inmates developing kidney stones due to the soaring prices of drinking water, making it unaffordable for most prisoners. Previously, a 20-liter bottle of purified water was sold for 800 kyats, but currently, Prison Officer Min Lwin Oo has confiscated the 20-liter bottles and is selling 1-liter bottles for 600 kyats each, making it difficult for prisoners to access clean drinking water.
The prisoners have been denied access to their dormitory cells for over a month, and restrictions have been placed on prison visits, causing significant hardship for inmates’ daily necessities. Family visitation rights have also been suspended for more than a month. Furthermore, prison officers at Magway Central Prison have been physically abusing inmates, resulting in deaths, yet no action has been taken against the perpetrators. Those who have been severely beaten are denied access to outside medical treatment, as authorities attempt to conceal their actions.
Notably, political prisoner and Islamic religious leader Ko Myat Ko was beaten to death by Prison Officer Min Lwin Oo (aka Buffalo) and his associates, but no legal action has been taken to date. Following the dropping of two bombs on Magway Prison on April 13, dormitory representatives and inmates who had previously advocated for prisoners’ rights were called to punishment cells, where they were beaten and placed in solitary confinement. Currently, Prison Officer Min Lwin Oo wields more authority than the Prison Warden Zaw Min himself, who reportedly fears Min Lwin Oo. Under the pretext of conducting searches, prison authorities confiscate inmates’ legally purchased belongings and transport them outside the prison by vehicle.
Lower-ranking staff members even confiscate basic necessities such as facial cleansers and toothpaste from prisoners, perpetrating daily human rights violations. Sources close to the prison report that Min Lwin Oo takes pleasure in the torture of inmates and has allegedly engaged in inappropriate relationships with female prison staff, including Prison Officer Daw Aye Aye Thwe. The situation has created an atmosphere of fear and oppression within the facility, with regular human rights violations occurring without any accountability or oversight.
