Imprisoned NLD member’s health worsens after regime denies breast cancer treatment for almost one year

A woman political prisoner detained in Mandalay's Obo Prison is struggling to afford breast cancer treatment after being denied adequate treatment at an outside hospital for almost one year, according to sources close to her family. Ei Thu Lay, a Mahaaungmyay District National League for Democracy (NLD) youth leader, was one of five female party members arrested at a Myanmar military checkpoint on the Sagaing-Monywa highway on March 28, 2025, the same day a devastating earthquake shook the country. Within a month of arriving at Mandalay’s Obo prison, 39-year-old Ei noticed an unusual lump on her breast and began experiencing breast cancer symptoms; however, prison authorities only allowed her to receive specialist treatment at an outside hospital in June this year, almost a year after the symptoms began, a source close to her family told Myanmar Now. “When she reported having a breast lump, the prison hospital only gave her oral medicine. As the months went by, the [lump] gradually grew larger and hardened, and even when she couldn’t bear it anymore, applications had to be submitted through various administrative steps. It took many months,” the source explained. In June, Ei was finally granted permission to receive emergency medical care at an outside hospital. After being denied adequate treatment for so long, the cancer had spread and her condition had deteriorated significantly, the source added. Currently, Ei is receiving chemotherapy treatment three times a month at Mandalay General Hospital. Each session costs over 600,000 kyat (US$150), and her family are struggling to afford the over 1.8 million kyat every month for treatment. “There is no one at her house—just two sisters. Her older sister cannot afford it either. It is very difficult to pay for her medical treatment,” the source said. In October 2025, the Amarapura Township Court under the military junta sentenced the five NLD members to prison terms ranging from seven to 37 years. Ei was sentenced to seven years in prison under Section 52a of the junta’s Counter-Terrorism Law. Another of the five women arrested and imprisoned, Ohn Mar Win, secretary of the Amarapura Township NLD party, suffers from osteoarthritis and relies on specialised medication. It is reported that she is also currently denied access to medical treatment. A Mandalay Region NLD party official told Myanmar Now last October that she was worried about Ohn Mar's health. “Since being arrested, she hasn’t been able to take her medication and I heard her health is worsening now. She isn't getting medical treatment,” she said. Myanmar Now has not yet been able to inquire about the current health status of the other three women, except for Ei and Ohn Mar. The junta has not issued any news statement regarding the arrest and detention of the five female NLD members to date. Since the military coup in February 2021, opponents of the regime across the country have been rounded up and imprisoned, with numerous incidents of people being tortured to death in interrogation centers, or dying after being denied medical treatment in prison. Prisoners who have been released have confirmed that human rights violations against prisoners and healthcare conditions in regime-run prisons are extremely dire. Late last month, 42-year-old political prisoner Hlaing Bwar from Obo Prison died of cirrhosis after he was denied adequate medical treatment. Hlaing Bwar, an NLD member serving a 164-year prison sentence, was only allowed to receive outside treatment the day before his death. The NLD’s Human Rights Documentation Team announced in March that during the more than five years since the military coup, 149 NLD MPs and 2,880 party members have been unjustly arrested. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has confirmed that the junta has arrested 31,645 political prisoners since the coup, and continues to detain at least 14,644.

Imprisoned NLD member’s health worsens after regime denies breast cancer treatment for almost one year

The NLD member is one of five female party members jointly arrested last year, two of whom have been denied adequate medical treatment in Mandalay’s Obo prison

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