The prisoners in Insein prison are forced to pay 50,000 Kyats per prisoner for Thingyan Festival, as well as the warden of dormitory -5 is doing beats and isolation on political prisoners, a staff of Insein Prison told MPA.
A staff of the Correction Department serving at Insein Prison, Yangon Region, sent a letter to the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA) to reveal the information on March 18.
“I request to reveal this information on news media outlets. I also don’t want to beat up young people anymore. I want to retire from my job. But, according to the situation, I am not able to leave,” he said.
It is stated in this letter that the warden of class -1 of dormitory -5, Kyaw Zin Lin (b) Tayotegyi, is bullying and extorting money from political prisoners, if not pay money, he changes the room of the prisoners.
In addition, the dormitory -5 warden reported a lie to the prison authorities that 12 young political prisoners were making unrest in the prison, talking about political affairs, so those youths were beaten and isolated.
“I heard those youths were arrested under penal section 505(a) and (b) during the protest and were sentenced to more than 5 years in prison. We still investigate who those are,” said a family member of a political activist.
Similarly, 50,000 kyats per prisoner is reportedly demanded for Thingyan festival inside the prison and one million kyats (10 lakhs) per room is reportedly demanded.
“Right, prison authorities are demanding money from prisoners. I already sent money to prison for my family member, a political prisoner. They (prison authorities) also told me to make a donation for Thingyan New Year,” a family member of a political prisoner confirmed about demanding money from prisoners.
Kyaw Zin Lin (b) Tayotegyi, a warden of class -1 of dormitory -5, is a person who is sentenced to a long-term prison for a drug case and is also a person who oppresses the inmates together with the prison authorities.
According to the statement of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a total of 26,244 political prisoners have been detained in various prisons in Myanmar since the military coup until March 15 this year.
Translator: Grace