At least eight female political prisoners suffering from cancer are facing life-threatening conditions in Myanmar’s prisons due to a systemic denial of medical treatment, according to the Women’s Organization of Political Prisoners (WOPP).
The warning follows the death of an 82-year-old political prisoner with stomach cancer, who died in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo Prison on August 13 after authorities repeatedly ignored her requests for adequate medical care.
Sentenced to seven years in prison in 2023 under the Counter-Terrorism Law, the woman had suffered from severe abdominal pain since her arrest but died without receiving timely treatment.
Since the military coup, numerous women arbitrarily detained as political prisoners have developed cancers—including of the cheek, stomach, cervix, and breasts. WOPP attributes the deteriorating health of inmates to severe malnutrition and unsanitary conditions inside the prisons.
"Right now, there are female political prisoners with cancer in Myingyan, Myitkyina, Obo, Nyaungshwe, Insein, and Shwebo prisons," said Ma Su Myat, WOPP’s information and communications officer. "The longer they wait for medical treatment, the worse their condition gets. Their lives are under constant threat."
In a statement issued on August 14, WOPP highlighted that female inmates are also suffering from a range of severe reproductive and general health issues, exacerbated by a lack of clean water, nutritious food, and basic hygiene.
According to Ma Su Myat, prison authorities consistently use "security concerns" as an excuse to block or delay transfers to external hospitals.
"Even though prisons lack adequate medicines or doctors, authorities still claim they can provide sufficient healthcare inside," she said. "They also say they must wait for orders from higher-ups before sending inmates to outside hospitals. They keep putting it off for days or even months—or never send them at all."
The advocacy group is calling on the international community to intervene and press the junta for immediate action.
"We need to ensure the lives of female political prisoners are not kept at risk. They must be allowed to receive proper medical care at outside hospitals," Ma Su Myat emphasized. "International organizations, including groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that have access to prisons, need to pressure prison authorities and responsible officials to take action."
WOPP pledged to continue monitoring human rights violations, physical and psychological abuse, and medical neglect against arbitrarily detained female political prisoners, vowing to stand with them until they are unconditionally released.
