Smuggled sketches show horrific conditions inside notorious Insein Prison in Myanmar

Radio Free Asia have released a series of sketches penned by inmates of a Burmese prison in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and smuggled out of the prison by brave, released detainees. Thousands of mostly political prisoners have been sent there since last year’s coup. The following from Radio Free Asia…

“Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison give a peak into the lives of those detained by the ruling military government. The drawings show endless rows of men hunched down and holding their knees in a single room and others sleeping on one side.”

The blue-ink drawings give an inside-look at daily life for male prisoners in their dormitories at the Insein Prison (nicknamed “Insane”) as they queue for water from a trough to wash, talking, playing simple games to pass the time, or just lying on the bare floor in the relentless tropical heat… no fans and certainly no air conditioning.

Beyond those sketches, there have also been 8 recently released inmates who told Reuters about the colonial-era prison in Yangon, infested with rats; a place where bribes are common, prisoners pay for a sleeping spot on the floor, and infectious diseases run rampant.

“The sketches show how prisoners in the male dormitories have to line up daily for water and lie on the floor in Myanmar’s humid heat. Eight detainees recently released spoke with Reuters about conditions inside the prison, confirming the crowded quarters and said the cells are infested with rats.”

The Burmese military Junta, who seized power in a coup from the elected government on February 1, 2021, do not allow inspections of the notorious facility or any photographs to be taken inside the prison..

The Burmese military launched a nationwide crackdown on the citizens of Myanmar after seizing the government from Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets protesting the takeover and a well-coordinated insurgency, made up of hundreds of tribal areas and organised dissident groups, continues to defy the military’s control over the country.

Over 10,000 Burmese citizens have been detained and over 1,700 killed since the crackdown, with fewer than 1,000 of those actually arrested, and gunned done randomly by soldiers and sniper groups.

SOURCE: Free Radio Asia