Arakan prisoners endure life behind bars without access to medical treatment

By Admin 25 Feb 2023

DMG Newsroom
25 February 2023, Sittwe

Some political prisoners and other long-incarcerated individuals in Arakan State are in poor health and require medical treatment, according to family members.

Ko Zaw Win aka Ludu Zaw Win from Kyauktaw, who has been charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, is suffering from back pain and needs medical treatment, but he has not been allowed to receive it, said his wife Daw Khin Hla Zan.

“He is now suffering from backache, so I had to buy medicine and send it to him. We are not allowed to meet him at prison. He was once allowed by prison authorities to see a doctor at my request,” she added.

Three local men including Ko Zaw Win were arrested on June 21, 2022, after three junta soldiers were detained by the Arakan Army (AA) in Kyauktaw the previous day.

The three men were charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code on suspicion of having links to the Arakan Army.

Former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison by Myanmar’s military regime, needs surgery for a left eye cataract but the junta has denied it despite repeated requests from U Nyi Pu himself and his family members over the past four months.

“He has no serious health problems. However, his eye must be treated,” said Ma Kyi Kyi Oo, a daughter of U Nyi Pu. “We family members are not allowed to meet him. He is on medication for the cataract, but it’s not working.”

The prison manual stipulates that every prisoner has the right to receive appropriate healthcare while incarcerated.

The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners set by the United Nations state that all prisoners must be treated with value and respect as human beings, in accordance with their inherent dignity, and must be allowed access to family and friends.

Many of those detained and facing charges or serving prison time in Myanmar, however, are deprived of these rights.

Maungdaw resident Ko Nyi Nyi Naing, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour under Section 50 of the Counter-Terrorism Law, is ill after being beaten during interrogation, family members have said.

“I heard that Nyi Nyi Naing’s mental and physical health was affected. It is known that his health is bad. It is known that he became lethargic due to the injuries sustained when he was beaten during the interrogation,” said his elder brother, Ko Ko Naing.

Because the military regime has restricted prison visits, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, family members are worried about Ko Nyi Nyi Naing’s health and want to be able to see him.

According to a DMG tally, approximately 50 individuals were detained on suspicion of AA affiliations and charged across Arakan State during the latest period of fighting between the ethnic armed group and the Myanmar military from August to late November of last year.