Authorities underneath the junta’s Ministry of Residence Affairs have transferred dozens of political prisoners from Myanmar’s Insein Jail in Yangon to a facility notorious for its poor remedy of inmates, RFA has realized, prompting concern from relations for his or her well-being.
Jail Division authorities transferred the estimated 250 political prisoners to western Bago area’s Tharyarwaddy Jail – the place former inmates have reported being subjected to torture and different types of abuse – on Sept. 24, kinfolk instructed RFA Burmese, including that they have been by no means knowledgeable of the transfer.
Former political prisoners say transferring inmates to prisons similar to Tharyarwaddy, the place they’ve little entry to relations and are subjected to poor remedy, is a tactic the junta makes use of to punish them for his or her activism and break their spirit.
A member of the family of journalist and political prisoner Nyein Nyein Aye, who was amongst these transferred to Tharyarwaddy final month, stated they have been frightened about her security and standing on the new jail.
“I obtained a shock cellphone name informing me they have been transferring her to a brand new location. I used to be shaken,” stated the member of the family of the reporter, also referred to as Mabel, who’s serving a three-year sentence for allegedly violating the nation’s Counterterrorism Legislation.
“Tharwaddy isn’t near the place we reside. Will probably be very troublesome to ship her packages. I later realized that she was compelled to maneuver abruptly and needed to depart all her belongings … She has to purchase all of her private objects on the new location. Will probably be very troublesome for her.”
One other relative of a political prisoner, who declined to be named, stated getting packages to inmates at Tharyarwaddy is considerably extra difficult.
“We have to current a duplicate of our nationwide ID card and record of relations issued by Immigration Division to show we’re associated to the prisoner,” they stated.
“A member of the family should then go in-person to ship the package deal. It’s difficult as a result of now they’re in one other area. I can’t journey there each month to do this as a result of I don’t come up with the money for.”
Moreover, the relative stated, there isn’t a assure that inmates will even obtain what is distributed to them, because the employees at Tharyarwaddy are identified to steal the contents of packages.
“I cooked sufficient meals for a month, however [my relative] didn’t obtain all of it. I used to be instructed they solely obtained 4 of the 15 packages I despatched,” they stated.
When requested by RFA in regards to the situations at Tharyarwaddy, Deputy Director Common of the Jail Division Naing Win dismissed the allegations.
“We presently have some laws for well being causes, so all packages are stored at a facility related to the jail. We course of and examine them after which ahead them on,” he stated.
“They will file a criticism to us if they’ve issues sending packages. We’re doing our greatest to facilitate the method. We now have by no means violated their rights or made the prisoner’s lives more durable.”
Studies of abuse
Along with issues over private property, there have been studies of political prisoners being mistreated, bodily abused, and even tortured at Tharyarwaddy.
In July, authorities transferred greater than 60 political prisoners to Tharyarwaddy from Hpa-An Jail in Kayin state. Sources instructed RFA that upon their arrival, the inmates have been compelled to take a seat in uncomfortable positions and later crushed, leaving a number of with extreme accidents.
Mar Kee, a former scholar activist and prisoner of conscience who served time in Tharyarwaddy Jail through the Nineteen Eighties instructed RFA that it’s certainly one of Myanmar’s worst detention facilities.
“Throughout our time, the jail had extreme restrictions and life was very powerful … We needed to combat for our rights as they compelled political prisoners to carry out exhausting labor with the opposite inmates and we endured torture there,” he stated.
“We heard situations improved after ICRC (Worldwide Committee of the Pink Cross) employees visited the jail. I assume the present scenario there may not be as unhealthy as in our time. However it gained’t be nearly as good because the time instantly following the ICRC go to.”
Mar Kee stated political prisoners who employees at different prisons had singled out as “troublemakers” have been instantly subjected to bodily abuse upon their arrival at Tharyarwaddy, and infrequently positioned in solitary confinement.
‘Their intent is obvious’
Former political prisoner Win Zaw Naing instructed RFA that the junta is following the playbook of Myanmar’s earlier navy regime in coping with prisoners of conscience by sending them to Thayarwaddy and prisons in distant areas, the place they’ve much less entry to relations and are compelled to endure harsh situations.
“Their intent is obvious,” he stated. “They wish to topic political prisoners to hardships.”
Win Zaw Naing stated authorities additionally intend to “punish the relations” by transferring political prisoners to remote areas the place they lose contact with their family members for months at a time.
“Their hope is to harm each the prisoners and their kinfolk outdoors the jail,” he stated.
Thailand’s Help Affiliation for Political Prisoners (Burma) says that authorities in Myanmar have arrested practically 16,000 individuals since final yr’s coup – largely throughout peaceable anti-junta protests. Greater than 12,500 stay in detention, the group says.
Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung for RFA Burmese. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.