Inmates’ family members call for allowing prison visits as Covid-19 cases remain few

By DMG 18 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
18 December 2022, Sittwe

Inmates detained in various prisons across Arakan State have not reportedly been allowed to meet their families despite there being almost no Covid-19 infections in the state.

With Covid-19 infections at near-negligible levels for months, the military council has been gradually relaxing virus-related regulations in Arakan State and elsewhere in Myanmar. The Arakan State military council has gone so far as to organise events on special days like Arakan State Day.

But face-to-face meetings between inmates and family members in prisons have been restricted since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and they remain so.

“We are not allowed to meet in-person, but we are allowed to send necessary items to him,” said Ma Aye Aye Khaing, the wife of Ponnagyun resident U Ba Hlaing, who was charged under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code and is being held at Sittwe Prison. “We are allowed to meet during the hearing at the court. I don’t know why we are not allowed to meet in person.”

“This [ban on prison visits] is a violation of human rights,” said U Myat Tun, a human rights activist. “Inmates have the right to meet their family members. Banning prison visits for family members of the inmates as an excuse for such virus-related regulations violates the rights of prisoners.”

Family members have reported being denied access to inmates detained in Sittwe Prison, allowed only to leave food and other items with security guards at the prison entrance.

Ko Myo Chit Soe, a 19-year-old young man who was arrested and prosecuted by the military council as a suspect in the murder of a young woman in Sittwe, and has not been allowed to meet with his family for almost three months.

“I don’t know about his safety or health. I was allowed only to leave food and other items with security guards at the prison entrance when I visited Sittwe Prison. I want to know whether my son is receiving the food and items I have sent or not,” said Daw Hla Thein Nwe, the mother of Ko Myo Chit Soe.

Prison authorities have said the ban on prison visits is in accordance with Covid-19 regulations, according to sources close to the Sittwe penitentiary.

When DMG attempted to contact officials from the Arakan State Correctional Department regarding the regime’s restrictions on prison visits, an official replied that he would contact DMG later as he was on leave for family matters.