A total of 27 female political prisoners at Daik-U Prison in Myanmar’s Bago Region are being held in solitary confinement, with five facing extended sentences under fabricated charges, according to the Political Prisoners Network – Myanmar (PPNM).
"Right now, 27 female political prisoners are in solitary confinement, and five have been framed with fabricated charges and given longer prison sentences. We still don't know the exact allegations against them or the extent of their extended sentences," said Ma Yaung Ni Lin, a member of PPNM's steering committee.
PPNM reported that those in solitary confinement are enduring severe depression and acute psychological trauma as prison authorities systematically escalate physical and emotional abuse.
In a statement released on July 29, the rights group accused officials at Daik-U Prison of forcing female political prisoners into hard labor, assaulting those who demand basic rights, cutting off family visits, denying medical treatment, and inventing charges to lengthen detentions.
Conditions inside solitary confinement are extreme: inmates are prohibited from bathing for up to two weeks, restricted to just one liter of water per day, and fed only rice porridge.
PPNM further alleged that prisoners are not returned to general wards even after completing their solitary confinement terms. Instead, they remain isolated, subjected to daily beatings and intimidation by guards, and denied both medical care and family communication.
Ma Su Myat, Information and Communications Officer for the Women's Organization of Political Prisoners (WOPP), warned that the systemic repression has created life-threatening conditions for detainees.
"The junta is trying to gain international legitimacy by staging a sham election and putting on the mask of a civilian government," Ma Su Myat said. "At the very same time, the regime is brutally oppressing female political prisoners. They are denied adequate medical care, face arbitrary solitary confinement, and endure severe physical and psychological torture that puts their lives at risk."
Ma Su Myat highlighted the plight of pregnant detainees who have been barred from accessing outside hospital care.
Due to the severe lack of medical care and nutrition, one pregnant prisoner miscarried, while in another case, a newborn infant died within 24 hours of birth.
PPNM named several prison officials directly overseeing the reported abuses, including First Tier Staff Officer Daw Zin Mar Kyi Aung, Second Tier Staff Officer Daw San Nwe Oo, and jailors Thazin Myint, Thet Thet Zin, and Thandar Soe.
WOPP and PPNM called on the international community and human rights organizations to pressure Myanmar authorities to allow immediate access for independent inspectors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
They also urged international bodies to hold responsible officials accountable and secure the immediate, unconditional release of all political prisoners.
