Female political prisoners are being sexually harassed in Maubin Town Prison, Ayeyarwaddy Region, under the pretext of security, the Political Prisoners’ Network (Myanmar) reported on January 14.
The female political prisoners are subjected to sexual harassment and oppression on the pretext of security checks when going to and from court, Thaik Tun Oo, a member of the Head Committee of the Political Prisoners’ Network (Myanmar), said.
“In order to psychologically oppress the female political prisoners, they (the prison) give excuses, saying that prisoners will release papers and secret letters. There are also checks on some prisoners on the pretext of drugs. They are checking on them (female political prisoners) naked and touching their genitals. Until now, such checking has not stopped. That is why I have published this for the public to know and for the prison authorities to be aware,” he explained.
Although the Prison Department is doing it for drug reasons, the female political prisoners are only serving in prisons because of political articles, and they will not commit the cases as far as they are concerned, he added.
Female political prisoners in Maubin Prison are forced to take off their shirts in public in front of the dormitory on their way to and from the trial, and they are being searched with hands inside their genitals and their anus.
“In every day that goes to the trial, female political prisoners are checked once on the way out, once on the way in, and twice a day. While they are being checked, even during their periods, they take off their underwear and check them. Some of them do not accept it. So, when they submit to not being checked like this, they (prison staff) shout and curse the prisoner,” said a person close to Maubin Prison.
It is reported that May Zin Tun (a two-star officer), the female dormitory warden, and the female prison staff have committed such sexual harassment and oppression under the pretext of a security check.
“The main thing is to be able to check the illegal items in the prisons. If they want to check for real, install X-ray machines like in Insein and Obo prisons. Check with legal ways and other necessary equipment. Checking women naked like this is completely unacceptable. I want to inform those who committed such human rights violations that we have properly documented them with accurate investigations and solid evidence,” said an official of the Political Prisoners Network (Myanmar).
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP-Burma), a total of 25,799 people has been arrested in Myanmar since the military coup, and 1,9911 are still being held in prisons.