Inmates, including political prisoners requiring emergency medical treatment at Mawlaikkalay Prison in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, are reportedly being granted access to care only after paying bribes to prison authorities, according to a statement from the Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPNM) on October 23.
When a prisoner requires medical treatment, their family must pay prison authorities a bribe ranging from 500,000 to 2 million MMK. In some cases, families are even forced to cover the cost of the authorities’ outings to KTV lounges to secure permission for their loved ones to receive emergency treatment outside the prison.
“Some political prisoners in Mawlaikkalay Prison who were denied timely emergency treatment are now suffering from lasting neurological issues, with some even paralyzed in their legs. Denying prisoners urgent medical care puts their lives at serious risk, and we call for an immediate end to this inhumane practice,” the PPNM stated.
Whenever reports of serious mistreatment of prisoners surface, the Prison Department under the junta’s Ministry of Home Affairs typically responds by releasing staged photos showing inmates receiving healthcare and health education inside detention facilities, according to the PPNM.
The PPNM condemned the Mawlaikkalay Prison authorities, saying that denying adequate medical care to political prisoners is both oppressive and a violation of the standards of human dignity recognized by international human rights organizations.
The PPNM announced that between the beginning of 2025 and October, 28 political prisoners have died in prisons due to the lack of timely medical treatment.
