Deaths of MPs in prison and while fleeing rise during 5.5 years of the Myanmar military coup

Mizzima

Over 8,300 civilians have been killed due to the violence and unlawful killings of the Myanmar military junta in the nearly five and a half years since the military coup, according to separate reports released by the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the Human Rights Documentation Team of the National League for Democracy (HRDT-NLD).

According to data released by the CRPH on 25 August, four regional members of local legislative assemblies (MLAs), including Mandalay Region government Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, died in prison due to torture during interrogation, harsh prison conditions, and inadequate medical treatment while in detention.

Additionally, in June 2022, Kyaw Myo Min, a Mon State MLA, was also killed after being arrested by the military junta’s forces.

Currently, a total of 50 elected representatives, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, 17 Union-level (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) MPs, and 33 regional and state MLAs, remain in detention.

Similarly, a total of 34 MPs, comprising 17 Union-level MPs and 17 regional and state MLAs, who were fleeing the conflict died due to a lack of adequate medical treatment, with seven of them passing away within the year 2026.

On the other hand, according to records verified by the HRDT-NLD covering a period of over five years from February 1, 2021, to July 31, 2026, a total of 6,507 civilians were killed by the military junta’s actions. Among them were eight NLD MPs, 125 party members, 573 children, and 1,119 women.

The report also stated that 19,378 people were unlawfully arrested for opposing the military coup, which includes 150 NLD MPs and 2,744 NLD party members.

The military junta conducted 827 airstrikes targeting non-military civilian residential areas, killing 1,958 people and destroying 4,469 buildings.

Furthermore, artillery shelling and small arms fire injured 3,545 civilians and damaged 13,279 buildings. Additionally, a total of 77,624 residential houses and buildings were burned to ashes across 1,982 military-led arson attacks.

The NLD records indicate that the military junta destroyed a total of 170 party offices, including the NLD headquarters four times and regional and state offices 15 times. They also unlawfully sealed and confiscated 1,031 properties belonging to MPs, party members, and 847 civilians.

The CRPH noted that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) still recognizes the MPs elected in the 2020 general election and the CRPH as the legitimate representatives of the Myanmar people. The CRPH has urged ASEAN, the United Nations, and the international community to provide practical assistance to end the military junta’s human rights violations and violence.

The HRDT-NLD also clarified that the data in this release was collected to the best of their reach under current constraints, noting that actual figures on the ground could be much higher. They added that these records will be preserved as evidence to pursue justice and ensure accountability in the future.