Sep. 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The NGO Human Right Watch (HRW) has accused the Burma Army and Police for their alleged involvement in the death of dozens of people who were in their custody since the February 1, 2021 coup was hatched.
According to a report prepared by the organization, six activists detained by the country’s security forces would have been subjected to torture or denied adequate medical attention, all this in the face of the passivity of the military junta authorities, who would not have taken action against the alleged perpetrators.
“The six deaths documented by Human Rights Watch are just the tip of the iceberg of suffering and torture of people detained by the Burma Army and Police,” said Manny Maung, the NGO’s researcher for Burma.
“Given the cruelty of the junta in all aspects of its rule, it is not surprising that no overt action has been taken to investigate the deaths in custody and bring those responsible to justice,” Maung said.
The organization has urged the Burmese authorities to “immediately” end abuses against those who oppose the military government, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other ill-treatment, as well as “unfair trials”.
HRW has also stressed the importance of deaths in custody being reported with proper documentation to the person’s family, as well as the body being returned and those responsible for “abuses” being held accountable.
The Thailand-based Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners estimates that at least 73 people have died in police or military custody at police stations, military interrogation centers and prisons since the coup.
“These deaths are only a small percentage of the at least 690 people who have died shortly after being detained by security forces, often during military operations in ethnic minority areas. The military junta has only acknowledged a few deaths in custody, but attributes them to diseases or heart failure,” HRW has detailed.
However, human rights activists, witnesses and sources close to the victims have assured that the available physical evidence indicates that “many died from torture or other ill-treatment, including poor conditions of detention and lack of access to adequate medical care.” .
Among the six victims that HRW has documented, one of them is a member of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Zaw Myat Linn, 46, was a community leader and local NLD official in Yangon.
He was taken from his home in Yangon at night on March 8, 2021. The next morning, his family received a phone call saying that he had died in custody and that they could collect his body.
Photographs of Zaw Myat Lin’s body seen show that his tongue was deformed, teeth were missing and the skin on his face was peeling. One side of her body was bruised and surgically stitched.
The other victims included in the report are Khin Maung Latt, 58; and Than Tun Oo, 48, both from Suu Kyi’s NLD party; as well as Khet Thi, 43 years old; Tin Maung Myint, 52 years old; and Kyaw Swe Nyein, 55, all of whom had joined and led protest movements after the coup.
Five died within 24 hours of being detained and interrogated, while Kyaw Swe Nyein died two months after his arrest, according to the report.
None of the men’s families have received official medical certificates, cause of death or autopsy reports, despite evidence that autopsies were performed on four of the six bodies, according to the NGO.
“The board must issue medical certificates for all cases of death in custody and provide autopsy reports to families if autopsies were performed,” he demanded.
However, the organization has asked the UN, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to express their concern about the deaths in custody of the Burmese security forces and to put pressure on the board to put an end to them.
In addition, he has called for strengthening targeted sanctions against military-owned enterprises, the military, and the leadership of the State Administration Council (SAC) board under Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.
“The death of people in custody is among the hidden atrocities that the junta’s security forces commit every day,” Maung said.
“Concerned governments should ensure global condemnation of these horrific abuses,” he added.
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