Inmates beaten, isolated for allegedly using mobile phones in Dawei Prison

Twenty people, including political prisoners, were beaten and placed in solitary confinement in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei Prison after the facility’s authorities allegedly discovered mobile phones in their possession, sources close to the inmates said. An unspecified number of phones—which are prohibited—were reportedly discovered during an unscheduled inspection between March 13 and March 15, carried out jointly by members of the military, police, Dawei city development committee, general administration department, and prison staff. Those determined to be the owners of the devices in question were beaten, some to the point of having their bones broken, before being isolated from the rest of the prison population, a former political prisoner from the site told Myanmar Now. The Dawei District Political Prisoners Network released a statement on Tuesday stating that 20 people suffered injuries in the crackdown, including fractured legs, head wounds, and severe bruising. The organisation also claimed that the junta soldiers blindfolded two prisoners and took them out of the prison compound: their identities, whereabouts, and condition were not known. Among those beaten was Tun Oo, a Dawei local previously sentenced to 46 years in prison for several convictions in a junta-controlled court, including incitement and terrorism, a friend of his said. “They oppress the political prisoners more than other prisoners,” the friend explained. “It is so sad because there is nothing we can do.” None of the military council departments involved in the unscheduled search in mid-March have released any information about the incident. Dawei Prison’s former superintendent Aung Naing Pe and his deputy Thurein Tun were arrested on drugs and weapons charges last August after junta authorities reportedly found stashes of cannabis, stimulants, and ammunition in their homes during raids which followed an inspection of the prison by the military-appointed Tanintharyi Region security and border affairs minister. Mobile phones and drugs were reportedly found in the July 2023 search. Local media outlets Dawei Watch and the Tanintharyi Times reported that the junta had replaced most of the staff in the prison, and sentenced several to jail time. The military council made Nyan Lin Aung, a 40-year-old former army officer, the new Dawei Prison superintendent. The sources with knowledge of the facility who spoke to Myanmar Now said that repression, particularly against political prisoners, had worsened under his leadership. According to local monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, some 20,130 people were in detention under the Myanmar junta at the time of reporting.

Inmates beaten, isolated for allegedly using mobile phones in Dawei Prison

The detainees, which included political prisoners, were placed in solitary confinement after they were accused of hiding mobile phones in the prison in Tanintharyi

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