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Pro-democracy student activist dies at Insein Prison after being denied medical treatment

July 21, 2025/in News

A human rights group called the Women’s Organization of Political Prisoners stated on Sunday that student activist Wutyi Aung, 25, died inside of Insein Prison in Yangon due to a lack of medical treatment for her condition on Sunday. A source close to the family told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Wutyi Aung […]

Executive Director: Statement on UNOPS operations in Myanmar

June 25, 2025/in News

24 June 2025 Statement attributable to Jorge Moreira da Silva, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director, on visiting Myanmar I have just completed a visit to Myanmar, where communities are still reeling from the severe earthquakes in March, which compounded the existing challenges of conflict, displacement, and severe humanitarian needs. The earthquakes – Myanmar’s strongest in […]

Pro-democracy student activist dies at Insein Prison after being denied medical treatment

July 21, 2025/in News

Executive Director: Statement on UNOPS operations in Myanmar

June 25, 2025/in News

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Pro-democracy student activist dies at Insein Prison after being denied medical treatment

July 21, 2025/in News

A source close to the family told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Wutyi Aung died during an epileptic seizure and that she had developed a brain tumour due to injuries sustained during interrogations.

Before her arrest in 2021, Wutyi Aung worked as a central executive committee member of the Dagon University Students’ Union. She was arrested with five other student pro-democracy activists in Yangon’s Kyauktada Township on Sept. 14, 2021.

A regime-controlled court sentenced her to three years in Insein Prison on a charge of sedition, or Section 505(a) of the Penal Code. The WOPP claimed that Wutyi Aung sustained an injury to her brain during “torture” from prison officials during an interrogation after her arrest.

Media reported that she was transferred to Daik-U Prison in Bago Region, which is located 88 miles (141 km) north of Yangon, on April 24, 2022. She was transferred back to Insein Prison on Oct. 24, 2022, and received an additional four-year sentence under Section 52(a) of Counter-Terrorism Law on June 27, 2023.

A family friend told DVB on the condition of anonymity that Wutyi Aung had been in poor health since her arrest and fell unconscious for 22 hours in 2022. Wutyi Aung required surgery four days before her death, but prison officials denied her access to a hospital outside of the prison.

The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported on Sunday that a political prisoner named Pyae Sone Aung, 44, died during a Martyrs’ Day event at Thaton Prison in Mon State on July 19. He had reportedly suffered from hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Pyae Sone Aung was convicted of sedition and terrorism and sentenced to six years in prison on April 5, 2022. The deaths of Wutyi Aung and Pyae Sone Aung brings the number of political prisoners who have died due to a lack of adequate medical treatment in prison this year to 17, according to the PPNM.

It has documented that at least 130 political prisoners have died in custody since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented that 22,184 people are still in detention for political activities, including opposing the 2021 coup.

DVB

Executive Director: Statement on UNOPS operations in Myanmar

June 25, 2025/in News

24 June 2025

Statement attributable to Jorge Moreira da Silva, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director, on visiting Myanmar

I have just completed a visit to Myanmar, where communities are still reeling from the severe earthquakes in March, which compounded the existing challenges of conflict, displacement, and severe humanitarian needs.

The earthquakes – Myanmar’s strongest in a century – killed an estimated 3,800 people and 5,100 injured. Women and girls comprised the majority of the casualties.

The disaster added another layer of suffering to an already struggling population. Even before the quake, more than 3.5 million were displaced by conflict. Myanmar is also one of the world’s deadliest countries for landmine and unexploded ordnance casualties.

Two months in, in the most affected areas, more than 6.3 million people remain in urgent need of assistance and protection.

I saw the extent of the damage and the needs in my visits to Sagaing and Mandalay.

UNOPS – through our partners and programmes – worked swiftly to mobilize $25 million and scaled up our response to reach half a million people with life-saving assistance.

My colleagues worked closely with the UN family, local, and other humanitarian partners to provide immediate assistance and support recovery efforts, including by delivering emergency shelters, access to clean water, and deploying infrastructure specialists for rapid damage assessments.

But the needs are immense. The World Bank estimates $10.97 billion in damages, with full reconstruction likely costing 2–3 times more.

As we shift gears from immediate relief to early recovery, my colleagues and partners need safe, sustained access, to prevent further suffering.

Debris removal is another key concern. Over 2.5 million tonnes of debris must be cleared, to pave the way for recovery.

UNOPS – along with the broader UN family and local responders – are working to restore essential services, rebuild livelihoods and support communities. This is a collective effort, and the role of our local partners is key.

I echo the calls from across the UN system for an end to violence. Recovery and reconstruction efforts should support Myanmar’s journey to peace and reconciliation. Protection of civilians must be a priority.

All recovery efforts need to put people at the front and centre.

They need to be inclusive, led by the communities that are impacted.

They need to be grounded in dignity, equity, and a shared commitment to building resilience.

UNOPS has the largest UN presence in Myanmar, with over 400 colleagues on the ground. We have supported the people of Myanmar for the past 30 years, offering practical solutions to help improve health, livelihoods, rural development and agriculture initiatives across the country.

UNOPS manages some of the largest development funds in Myanmar, including the Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT), the Access to Health Fund, and the Global Fund, among others. My colleagues support humanitarian efforts to reduce the risk posed by mines.

UNOPS remains committed to supporting the people of Myanmar to build resilience and pursue solutions to the challenges they face, for a more stable and stronger future.

Other Human Rights Reports

Myanmar Mechanism investigations reveal deliberate attacks on civilians by the Myanmar military – Annual ReportAugust 12, 2026 - 9:49 am
Geneva, 11 August 2026 – Investigations by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism), as detailed in its Annual Report released today, show a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on civilians, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence committed by the Myanmar military. The Myanmar military escalated its aerial attacks and other crimes against civilians in the lead-up to […]

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]

Multimedia

GenocideSeptember 2, 2025 - 9:42 am
Crimes Against HumanityJune 16, 2025 - 7:55 am
International Humanitarian Law Cartoon AnimatonApril 29, 2025 - 8:37 am
အတိတ်မှ ဆိုးရွားသည့် အကြီးအကျယ် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများ ထပ်မံမဖြစ်ပွားစေရေးအ တွက် အာမခံခြင်း (Guarantees of non-recurrence)February 10, 2025 - 9:58 am

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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ND Burma

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