Dozens of Political Prisoners Injured in Unprovoked Beating at Insein Prison

Political prisoners inside Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison were violently beaten by prison staff earlier this week, in what rights groups describe as systematic abuse targeting anti-regime detainees across Myanmar.

Around 30 political prisoners returning from a football match inside the prison compound were attacked by Aung Kyaw Sint, head of Dormitory No. 1, on Sunday, according to sources with knowledge of the incident. They report that he bludgeoned them with a baton without provocation.

“Many suffered serious injuries to the head, face, and neck—some cannot even get out of bed,” a source told The Irrawaddy, adding that all have been denied medical treatment.

“Prisoners were stopped on their way back to their cells. When one prisoner responded that they were permitted to watch the matches, he lashed out,” the source said.

The officer reportedly forced the prisoners to lie face-down before stomping on their backs with his boots. Former political prisoner Ko Poe Thar, who was previously under Aung Kyaw Sint’s supervision, confirmed his reputation for violence toward political detainees.

“He has always been aggressive, especially toward political prisoners. I personally witnessed him beating inmates brutally,” Ko Poe Thar said.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) estimates that more than 22,000 political detainees are currently jailed nationwide. Rights groups and former detainees report that they face systematic torture, denial of medical care, and routine mistreatment under the regime’s prison system.

In October 2025, 12 death‑row prisoners were tortured following accusations of plotting a jailbreak, according to monk U Pyinnya Zawta, a former political detainee who recounted his own arrest and torture at the hands of the regime. Similar abuse has been documented in other prisons, including Tharyarwaddy, where detainees have been subjected to forced labor, starvation, and violent punishment.

Protest leader Ko Nan Lin described the latest incident as deeply alarming. “Their beatings have been confirmed. This is a case of prison authorities targeting political prisoners simply because they don’t like them. Their lives and health are at risk. They are denied medicine and care, which makes the situation extremely worrying.”

Reports from AAPP and rights groups show political prisoners across Myanmar are subjected to torture, beatings, and denial of medical treatment, as part of a deliberate strategy by the regime to break resistance inside prisons.