A petition calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate human rights abuses in Myanmar prisons has been started.

The petition was started on 22 March by the LGBTQ Alliance Myanmar. It calls for a halt to human rights abuses and violence in prisons, for the ICRC to investigate allegations of abuse in prisons and for the international community to put pressure on the Military Council to reform prison conditions.

An LGBTQ Alliance Myanmar spokesperson said that so far, they have collected 10,000 signatures and they are carrying out a public awareness programme so that they can reach their target of 200,000 signatures.

The spokesperson explained that LGBTQ prisoners suffer from a lot of brutal discrimination, sexual abuse and torture in prisons. More than 20 LGBTQ prisoners have been sexually abused and tortured in prison, according to reports.

They said: “[prison officers do things] like beating their [LGBTQ prisoners] private areas [genitals] with canes for being gay or lesbian and they get raped in prison. These cases will be reported to the International ICRC headquarters.”

Members of student unions, Political activists, and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) have also been brutally tortured in prison.

Some prisoners from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) were tortured by having bamboo sticks inserted into their anuses in Mandalay’s OBo Prison, according to an ABFSU statement.

The ICRC is an independent, neutral organization that ensures that protects human rights and offers assistance to the victims of armed conflicts and other violent situations. It responds to emergency situations and promotes respect for international humanitarian law and its implementation using national laws.

Though many complaints have been made to the local ICRC office about human rights abuses in Myanmar no action has been taken, according to a person who submitted a complaint.