Political prisoner dies in police custody after being denied medical treatment in Sagaing Region

Bhon Bhon, a 33-year-old political prisoner in Sagaing Region, died from kidney disease on December 25 after he was denied proper medical care, a political prisoners’ rights group reported on December 26.The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported that Bhon Bhon had requested treatment for his kidney illness, but Monywa Police Station officers denied him life-saving assistance. Thike Tun Oo, the spokesperson for PPNM, told Myanmar Now that his death was avoidable. "Since first discovering the illness, he has requested medical treatment. But the authorities said: ‘No treatment is needed. No need for hospitalisation. Just hook him up with an IV drip and he’ll get better.' That's how they handled it," Thike Tun Oo said. "They are spreading false news that they tried to send him to the hospital, but the hospital did not accept him. In fact, even until the time of his death, there were no doctors present." Bhon Bhon was among the thousands arrested in early 2021 for opposing the military coup. In the months following, he was sentenced to two years in prison under Section 505a of the Penal Code for incitement. As an LGBTI+ activist and staunch coup opponent, he was targeted by the junta, facing torture and abuse in interogation centres. The junta detained him in both Sagaing Region’s notorious Monywa Prison and Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Prison before releasing him in 2022. After his release, Bhon Bhon co-founded PPNM, continued working on political prisoners' issues, and criticised the junta, which closely monitored his activities. According to Thike Tun Oo, he was detained again in Monywa Township on February 24, 2024. "When he was arrested, he was beaten, handcuffed, and his feet were chained before he was taken away.” Torture and mistreatment in interrogation centres has been widely reported since the 2021 coup and also in the years before. “He had a tattoo of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on his arm,” Thike Tun Oo said. “The authorities accused him of providing support for and carrying out terrorist activities." The junta kept Bhon Bhon in the Monywa Police Station for ten months. Despite a court sentencing him to a decade in prison on three charges, they continued to detain him in the police station’s jail, according to PPNM's statement.“He had to stay in detention with many other people, and had no time to walk around,” Thike Tun Oo said. “His lower body became weak. His health deteriorated.” Myanmar Now contacted the junta’s police force in Monywa Township, but they did not respond to requests for comment. Since the coup in 2021, over 100 political prisoners have died in Myanmar’s prisons, reflecting the dire conditions and lack of medical care they endure. Torture, neglect, and inhumane treatment remain rampant, underscoring the regime's brutal crackdown on dissent. PPNM estimates that since the coup, over 20 political prisoners have died due to neglect. “He didn't even get to see what we had written for him,” Thike Tun Oo said. “We were sending prayer messages as gifts to each member. Even though he was in a detention cell, we tried to send him a Christmas gift. Shortly after sending the gift, we heard the news of his death.”

Political prisoner dies in police custody after being denied medical treatment in Sagaing Region

“He had to stay in detention with many other people, and had no time to walk around. His lower body became weak. His health deteriorated.”

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