Myanmar junta’s cruelty exposed by new rights report detailing torture of political prisoners

Name: Myanmar junta reportedly breaks ceasefire with armed militia
Uploaded: 2022-09-13T04:22:19.000Z
Duration: 2 min 15 s
Description: Myanmar junta reportedly breaks ceasefire with armed militia

Victims documented in the report from Human Rights Watch include a former member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party whose facial skin had been peeled off

At least 690 people have died in Myanmar soon after being taken into custody, local monitors said. Many witnesses are still too afraid to speak up

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Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing pictured earlier this month at an economic forum in Russia. Photo: Tass Host Photo Agency via EPA-EFE

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Published: 12:22pm, 13 Sep 2022Updated: 12:55pm, 13 Sep 2022

A report published on Tuesday by Human Rights Watch has shed light on the extent of abuse and torture carried out by Myanmar’s military rulers.

Scores of activists and civilians who opposed the 2021 military coup in the Southeast Asian country have been locked up, tortured, and killed, according to the report.

The report details the deaths of six detained activists between May and July. Human Rights Watch said it relied on witnesses and other sources.

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Myanmar junta reportedly breaks ceasefire with armed militia

“The six deaths Human Rights Watch documented are just the tip of the iceberg of suffering and torture of those detained by Myanmar’s military and police,” said Manny Maung, Myanmar researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Given the junta’s cruelty in all aspects of its rule, there’s little surprise that no evident action has been taken to investigate deaths in custody and bring those responsible to justice.”

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military coup on February 1, 2021, overthrew the country’s democratically elected civilian leaders and returned the country to military rule.

The former de factor leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is currently held in solitary confinement and has already been sentenced to 20 years in jail for corruption, electoral fraud, incitement and breaching Covid-19 rules.