By Sayar Ngaat / MPA
Prison authorities under Myanmar’s military junta have allegedly subjected family members of political prisoners at Kale Prison in Sagaing Region to verbal sexual harassment, according to reports from affected families.
A family member of a political prisoner revealed that Kale Prison Chief Aung Moe Hein and security officer Han Win Aung contacted relatives—particularly the wives of detainees—under the pretense of discussing prison conditions and potential sentence reductions but instead engaged in sexual harassment over the phone.
She recounted, “At first, I gave my phone number to the prison chief, thinking it might help my husband inside. But after I returned home from a prison visit, he called me. He told me not to address him as ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aba’ (common terms for military officials) but as ‘Ko Gyi’ (a more intimate term for an older man). He then suggested that if I agreed to meet him privately, he could arrange for my husband’s sentence to be reduced. I was shocked.”
After this experience, she reached out to other families and discovered that security officer Han Win Aung had also harassed several other women in similar ways.
A political activist condemned these actions as serious abuses of power and urged the National Unity Government (NUG) to take strong action against the perpetrators.
“The prisoners are defenseless inside, which emboldens officials to harass their families,” the activist said.
“This behavior has gone too far, putting both inmates and their relatives at risk. It’s utterly disgraceful. The NUG must take decisive action, including issuing arrest warrants and pursuing legal cases against these individuals.”
Beyond sexual harassment, prison officials—including those other than Aung Moe Hein and Han Win Aung—have reportedly extorted money from families, demanding bribes in exchange for better treatment of prisoners.
“Some officers, particularly junior ones, target female relatives of inmates,” another family member reported.
“They ask for money, travel expenses, or even luxury items like phones and watches, promising favorable treatment for prisoners in return. This is completely unacceptable.”
Kale Prison, also known as Maw Laik Prison, is located in Maw Laik Village, Kale Township, and houses approximately 1,500 political prisoners, including nearly 500 female inmates.
According to the Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPNM), LGBTQ+ political detainees face not only the same oppression as other political prisoners but also sexual abuse from long-term criminal inmates.
PPNM reported on May 4, 2024, that a political prisoner named Maung Ye Yint Ko (also known as Ye Ye) at Tharyarwaddy Prison in western Bago Region was nearly raped by a fellow inmate known as Pyu Gyi.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) states that since the military coup on February 1, 2021, a total of 28,405 individuals have been arrested, with 21,683 still detained as of Wednesday.
