By Nway / MPA
It has been reported that the highest number of political prisoners’ deaths due to inadequate medical treatment occurred in Daik-U Prison.
According to the Myanmar Political Prisoners Network (PPNM), between 1 January and 30 September 2024, a total of nine male political prisoners, two female political prisoners, and one police officer who had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) died in prisons. Among these 12 individuals, three died in Daik-U Prison, the highest number, followed by two deaths each in Kyaikmaraw and Thayet prisons.
“Daik-U Prison is notorious for the harsh treatment of political prisoners. The prison doctors often delay treatment, and prisoners are not sent to external hospitals in time, leading to many deaths,” Ko Thike Htun Oo, a leading committee member of PPNM told MPA.
The remaining political prisoners who died were held in Magway Prison, Kalay Prison, Mandalay’s Obo Prison, Insein Prison, and Thaton Prison.
Although central prisons have prison hospitals with a small number of doctors and medical treatments, Ko Thike Htun Oo explained that other prisons only have facilities that are hospitals in name but lack proper medical services.
“There are no actual prison hospitals that meet the standards of the term ‘hospital.’ The doctors in these prisons are often absent during their duty hours, prioritizing their family matters and businesses. As a result, when emergencies occur, they cannot be reached,” he added.
Prisons have become battlegrounds where inmates are subjected to various forms of oppression, while prison hospitals that lack sufficient medical supplies and doctors continue to serve as temporary holding areas for political prisoners before their deaths, according to PPNM.
Deaths of prisoners due to inadequate medical treatment continue to occur annually in prisons. In response, PPNM has launched the “Do Not Close Their Lives, Open Them” campaign, urging both the public and international organizations to assist in addressing this issue.