Federal and state parliaments express grave concern over health crisis facing Myanmar’s political prisoners

Federal and state parliaments express grave concern over health crisis facing Myanmar’s political prisoners
Courtroom CCTV footage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint from 2022 was reported by The Guardian on June 19. (Photo - The Guardian)
Courtroom CCTV footage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint from 2022 was reported by The Guardian on June 19. (Photo - The Guardian)

The parliamentary representative committees of the State and Federal Unit Hluttaws issued a joint statement on 29 June expressing serious concern over the deteriorating health conditions and lack of adequate medical care for political prisoners, including detained State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The statement condemned the life-threatening conditions in prisons under the military junta, citing deaths resulting from violence, torture, and the denial of healthcare and proper nutrition. The committees pledged to collaborate with both domestic and international organizations to seek justice and accountability.

“We will pursue justice through political means. Additionally, we have agreed to continue working with international embassies, diplomats, and all possible avenues,” said U Myint Htwe, Chairman of the Sagaing Federal Unit Hluttaw.

He added that their efforts will remain aligned with parliamentary principles and legal frameworks, and they will continue to keep the public informed.

According to the statement, the National League for Democracy (NLD) still has 145 parliamentary representatives, five of whom have died due to junta airstrikes, prison conditions, and lack of access to proper healthcare.

The statement was jointly released by 13 organizations, including the Sagaing Federal Unit Hluttaw, Tanintharyi Region Parliament, Magway Federal Unit Hluttaw, and Yangon Region Hluttaw.

Notably, in 2024, NLD Vice-Chairman and former Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung and former Electricity and Energy Minister U Win Khaing passed away. More recently, Mandalay Region Parliament Chairman U Aung Kyaw Oo died in prison on 27 June due to inadequate medical care.

In a related report released on 27 June, Myanmar Prison Witness revealed that 56 political prisoners have died in Mandalay’s Obo Prison over the past six years, largely due to a lack of proper medical treatment and restrictions on being transferred to outside hospitals.

Since the 2021 military coup, a total of 29,338 people have been arrested, with 22,180 still in detention and 10,881 sentenced, according to data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) as of 27 June.

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