Sources close to the regime Department of Prisons told DVB that approximately 200 inmates, including an unknown number of political prisoners, were transferred from Yangon’s Insein Prison into Myaungmya Prison in Ayeyarwady Region on July 27.
“We learned that [200] prisoners with sentences of 10-15 years and above were taken from the Insein prison. We believe this wasn’t just a routine prison transfer. Political prisoners were included,” a source close to Insein Prison told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Myaungmya is located 56 km (35 miles) south of the Ayeyarwady Region capital Pathein and 183 km (114 miles) southwest of Yangon. The 200 inmates were moved in six buses with an escort by regime authorities. Family visits at Myaungmya Prison have been suspended following the transfer, according to sources.
“Personal details of the transferred inmates have been kept confidential. The move was executed with minimal public disclosure,” a source at Yangon’s Insein Prison told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Families of transferred prisoners said this has caused them further hardship, particularly those with limited financial means, due to the distance between Yangon and Myaungmya.
Political prisoner advocacy groups have raised concerns about systematic transfers since the 2021 military coup, viewing them as a deliberate strategy to inflict suffering on prisoners and their families.
On June 13, roughly 200 prisoners were transferred from Monywa Prison in Sagaing Region to Obo Prison in Mandalay Region. This included political prisoner Wai Moe Naing, who’s serving a 74-year prison term for charges including robbery, rioting, treason, and murder.
Wai Moe Naing’s transfer came after a reported protest and hunger strike inside Monywa Prison, which occurred in response to a search operation that resulted in the confiscation of inmates’ personal belongings.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented that 22,236 have been detained since the 2021 coup for political activities, with 10,926 of them serving prison sentences.
