Myanmar, abuses against political prisoners

 “No one knows that you’re here, so we have permission to kill you anytime”. These are the words said by the military authorities to Phyu Phyu (a pseudonym for security reasons), a 36-year-old political prisoner, in the interrogation centres of Yangon, Myanmar, according to her testimony to Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/09/22/myanmar-women-political-prisoners-tortured-ill-treated).

Torture, ill-treatment, sexual violence, medical neglect and poor living conditions have long been, and still are, the daily reality for many political prisoners in Myanmar since the February 2021 coup that started the ongoing civil war. Among the 30,000 political prisoners, 640 are children, and 6,600 are women, including healthcare professionals, humanitarian workers, activists and journalists who, as Bryony Lau reported, “face layers of injustice, from arbitrary arrest to torture and mistreatment in detention, to unrelenting fear and trauma following release.”

The military government justifies arresting political dissidents in Myanmar by using Penal Code Section 505A, introduced by the military junta on February 14, 2021, shortly after the coup, along with Section 505(a), which was also amended during that period.

Both provisions undermine freedom of expression and are used as tools to suppress dissent. Section 505A criminalises the dissemination of false statements, fear-inducing news and incitement to commit offences against government employees. Section 505(a) targets anyone who encourages civil servants to join the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).

Through the testimonies gathered by Human Rights Watch, it is evident that political prisoners in Myanmar’s prisons face far worse treatment than other detainees. Often singled out as responsible for unrest, political prisoners fall victim to torture and abuse. Moreover, those who attempt to report these conditions are immediately punished with solitary confinement or cuts to their food and medical care.

Thayawaddy Prison is infamous for its violence against political prisoners; in 2023, 300 political prisoners were transferred there after being labelled as “disobedient in another prison”.

Sexual violence and medical neglect (particularly involving pregnant women) are among the most severe violations faced by female political prisoners. Sexual violence includes humiliating body searches, as described by 27-year-old Khine Zar: “They put their fingers into our bodies just to make sure we are not delivering letters to the outside. It is the standard procedure. Women during their period have to unstick their pad from their panties for the search”.

After the coup, many healthcare workers were arrested after joining the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). For this reason, there is a severe shortage of medical staff, with only one doctor for more than 1,000 prisoners. In certain prisons, detained healthcare workers have to replace the doctors. Transferring patients with serious illness to outside hospitals is very difficult, and medical care is not available at night. In addition, medical care is used as a form of blackmail to obtain information during interrogations. Women do not have access to menstrual and personal hygiene products.

Around 125 women are detained with their children or while pregnant. Pregnant women are not exempt from torture and abuse, and do not receive proper gynaecological and obstetric care during pregnancy or childbirth. Prenatal care is completely missing. As a result, women immediately find themselves having to decide whether to raise their child in prison or entrust them to family members without the opportunity to see them again.

The degrading conditions that political prisoners face during detention cause long-term damage even after their release. Many were released under a conditional pardon (Article 401 of the Myanmar Criminal Code), which allows for their rearrest without a warrant if any of the pardon’s conditions are not fulfilled. Moreover, the state has introduced new measures that make leaving the country almost impossible. Along with the physical and mental trauma of prison, former prisoners live in constant fear of being rearrested at any moment.

All these measures highlight the military government’s harsh crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression that, since the coup, has been responsible for numerous violations of human rights and prisoners’ rights, particularly the rights to life, health, and human dignity.

Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2026

Translated by Paola Ghisu