More than 80 inmates were beaten by a combined force of guards, police and soldiers at Pyapon Prison in Ayeyarwady Region on March 31 and 20 of them, including seven political prisoners, were so severely injured that they cannot walk, the Political Prisoners Network (Myanmar) and sources close to the prison said.
The injuries include head wounds and swollen limbs.
Some of them were beaten so badly they cannot walk, sources said, explaining that their legs are so swollen that they are three times their normal width.
Despite the seriousness of their injuries, the prisoners received only emergency treatment, a source said.
Eighteen of the injured inmates, including the seven political prisoners, had six months added to their sentences, the network said.
The protest started after a guard yelled and cursed at a political prisoner, according to the network.
Prison officials then called in dozens of soldiers and police officers who fired warning shots and beat prisoners, the network said.
Prison officials falsely claimed that the prisoners tried to escape, said Ko Thaik Tun Oo, a founder of the network. This false claim is being used as an excuse for the beatings, he explained.
Some of the prisoners given an additional six months in prison are still on trial, he added.
The injured prisoners are being kept separately, according to sources.
“They are being confined separately in groups of three to four,” one source said. The prison is a small and can only hold about 400 inmates.
Junta soldiers and police are still deployed in the prison, the network said. It added that and six prison guards participated in the beatings.
A total of 26,477 people were imprisoned in Myanmar between the Feb. 1 2021 coup and April 3 of this year, and 20,304 of them remain behind bars, according to data compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
