On March 28, a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, affecting several regions, including Mandalay. According to official reports, the death toll now exceeds 3,700, with the number of those killed at prisons still being assessed.
Devastation at Obo Prison
Among the hardest-hit facilities was Obo Prison in Mandalay, where numerous lives were lost. The earthquake struck at a time when inmates were locked in their cells—making casualties higher than they might otherwise have been. Several buildings, including Men’s Dormitories 3, 4, and 6, the men’s workshop and the women’s medical and residential wards, suffered significant structural damage.
At least 64 inmates perished, including 41 political prisoners—18 men and 23 women. Tragically, two unborn children also died; their mothers were political detainees who were pregnant at the time.
Over 140 political prisoners sustained injuries, with at least four suffering permanent loss of limbs or body functions. While some deaths were caused directly by the quake, others were due to medical neglect, mismanagement by prison authorities and shortages of essential medicines. Many inmates who were seriously injured and required emergency care were denied timely medical access. In several cases, lives could have been saved had the prisoners been allowed treatment outside the prison walls.
Pregnant political prisoner died needlessly
Among those who died due to delayed medical treatment was Ma Nwe Ni Win, a 41-year-old political prisoner who was three months pregnant when she was arrested. Her arrest took place in October 2024 at the 16-Mile Checkpoint while traveling from Kyaukme to Mandalay. Security forces detained her after discovering photos on her phone from early 2021 showing her participating in peaceful protests and distributing clean drinking water to demonstrators.
She was charged under Section 505(a) by police in Chanmyathazi Township and remained in detention while her case proceeded. She sustained an abdominal injury during the quake. Despite repeated requests for a medical transfer, prison authorities denied her access to outside hospitals, citing overcrowding.
It wasn’t until April 14—over two weeks after the earthquake—that she was finally transferred to the Mandalay Women’s Hospital. By then, her unborn child had died in the womb, and doctors were forced to perform a post-mortem delivery. Due to an infection that had spread in her uterus, Nwe Ni Win passed away shortly thereafter.
Call for justice
To prevent further tragedies like the one that claimed Nwe Ni Win and countless others, there is an urgent need for independent oversight and humanitarian support in Myanmar’s prison system. Political prisoners—including President U Win Myint, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many others—remain unjustly detained. The people of Myanmar, along with the international community, are urged to pressure the military junta, the Department of Corrections and relevant authorities to provide proper healthcare and ensure the humane treatment of all detainees.
The United Nations, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and neighboring countries must treat this matter with gravity and urgency. In the interim, effective support and medical aid for political prisoners are critical, as is sustained international pressure to hold prison authorities accountable for preventable deaths.
Even during the period before their release, it is necessary to provide effective support for political prisoners. At the same time, strong and practical pressure must be exerted on the military council and prison authorities regarding the need for full healthcare services inside prisons. We earnestly urge independent organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to take concrete actions in response. This appeal is made on behalf of the political prisoners who have died in custody.
Thaik Tun Oo is a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM).
