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Political prisoners barred from testifying at Mandalay’s Obo Prison court

February 17, 2023/in News

Deprivation of due process rights is the latest in a series of abuses endured by the detainees Sources close to Obo Prison have claimed political prisoners are no longer permitted to give testimony or attend hearings at the facility’s junta-controlled court as of Tuesday. A Mandalay-based lawyer commented that the restriction was imposed in order […]

“We Cannot Move Freely”

The Impacts of Martial Law on Civilians in Southeastern Burma Since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021 in Burma, clashes between the military junta and armed opposition groups have increased across the country. In Southeastern townships and villages, the frequency of the fighting has displaced thousands and led to mass instability. The Karen and […]

Political prisoners barred from testifying at Mandalay’s Obo Prison court

February 17, 2023/in News

“We Cannot Move Freely”

February 17, 2023/in ND-Burma Members' Reports, Other Human Rights Reports, Resources

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Political prisoners barred from testifying at Mandalay’s Obo Prison court

February 17, 2023/in News

Deprivation of due process rights is the latest in a series of abuses endured by the detainees

Sources close to Obo Prison have claimed political prisoners are no longer permitted to give testimony or attend hearings at the facility’s junta-controlled court as of Tuesday.

A Mandalay-based lawyer commented that the restriction was imposed in order to hinder investigations into events inside the prison, including a recent case that involved prison authorities reportedly beating female prisoners en masse.

“Their main goal is to cut off all connections to the inside of the prison. Prisoners were usually required to testify at the prison court when they received summons in the past, and were allowed to see their relatives and associates from the outside [while in court]. That won’t be possible anymore,” said the lawyer, who asked that his name be withheld.

He added that the suspension of court testimony had not been imposed by the court’s judge, but by the prison administration. According to the terms of the suspension, any prisoner required to testify in court must do so through an online conferencing system.

Sources close to the Mandalay courthouse also imparted that this suspension of court testimony would remain in effect indefinitely, which could cause major delays in court proceedings.

A letter secretly sent from inside the prison to Mandalay-based resistance forces last week described the oppressive conditions that the political prisoners faced inside, listing dozens victims by name, according to a local activist who received it.

The letter, written in blue ink on notebook paper, claimed prison authorities had beaten and tortured female political prisoners for two consecutive days in a crackdown following unrest in the women’s wards in the first week of February.

According to the letter, authorities hit female prisoners with slingshots and wooden and metal bats, sometimes with tasers attached.

Those in Mandalay’s activist circles speculated that at least three of the prisoners were critically injured and many more placed in solitary confinement or starved as punishment.

The suspension of court testimony is consistent with other measures taken by prison authorities to restrict the flow of information to and from inmates. Authorities have consistently taken extreme measures to isolate Obo prisoners from associates on the outside, according to sources close to those detained in the facility.

Among other limitations on inmates’ communications, visits have not been allowed at the Obo Prison since 2020, nominally for pandemic control purposes.

Myanmar Now has not been able to verify claims about conditions in the prison independently.

As of mid-February, a total of 15,745 people have been detained by the military since the 2021 coup, of whom 4,194 have been sentenced, according to data from the monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). More than 4,000 of those arrested by the junta in Myanmar during this period have been women.

Myanmar Now News

“We Cannot Move Freely”

February 17, 2023/in ND-Burma Members' Reports, Other Human Rights Reports, Resources

The Impacts of Martial Law on Civilians in Southeastern Burma

Since the attempted coup on 1 February 2021 in Burma, clashes between the military junta and armed opposition groups have increased across the country. In Southeastern townships and villages, the frequency of the fighting has displaced thousands and led to mass instability. The Karen and Mon armed groups are battling the junta in an ongoing bid for ethnic autonomy that has been amassed for decades.
While fighting occurs, civilians are forced to confront widespread horrors. They are unable to work or travel safely which has impeded their fundamental human rights, including freedom of movement. The current circumstances have led to desolate conditions for civilians who are significantly impacted by the toll of the conflict.
On February 2, 2023, the military junta called a National Defense and Security Council meeting and declared that ‘absolute power’ was granted to the Commander-in-Chief for the next six months.
As of February 3, 2023, the Burma Army had issued Martial Law in 37 of the 330 townships across the country, including Tanintharyi Region, five townships of Bago Region, Ye Township of Mon State, Kyainseikgyi and Kawkareik townships in Karen State.
In Ye, Kyaik Hto and Bilin Townships of Mon State, Martial Law has been in effect for nearly two years.
“Before declaring Martial Law in our region [Ye Township], the junta arbitrarily arrested people. They beat innocent civilians and seized their motorbikes. They even killed villagers. But now they’ve declared Martial Law, so there will be more human rights violations,” said a member of Ye Township’s Mon Unity Party (MUP). The military’s South East Command is now controlling the whole township in the southern part of Mon State.

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Spring Revolution

Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 8 to 14, 2024)September 20, 2024 - 2:30 pm
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 8 to 14, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in the Magway Region, Shan State, Kachin State, and Rakhine State from September 8th to 14th. Military Junta arrested the civilians as human shields from Mindon Township, Magway Region, and Salingyi Township, […]
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Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 1 to 7, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in the Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region, and Shan State from September 1st to 7th. The Military Junta threatened that they would launch airstrikes on the townships which they lost. The […]
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Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Aug 22 to 31, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in the Sagaing Region, Magway Region, Bago Region, Mandalay Region, Tanintharyi Region, and Shan State from August 22nd to 31st. Head of Prison which works under Military Junta, tortured and blackmailed the […]

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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