WOPP reports forced labour and denial of medicine to female political prisoners in Myanmar’s Daik-U prison

Mizzima

The Women’s Organisation for Political Prisoners (WOPP) released a statement 7 September, revealing that prison authorities at Daik-U prison in Bago Region are subjecting female political prisoners to forced labour, withholding medical supplies, and committing financial exploitation.

WOPP stated that female political prisoners are being forced to perform hard labour including masonry, farming, and night watch duty without any consideration for their health conditions or prison sentences.

The statement pointed out that prison staff have been confiscating food items sent by families instead of delivering them in full, and are instead profiting by reselling these items inside the prison.

Furthermore, medicines sent to the prisoners are confiscated. Sick inmates are only provided with basic drugs like Paracetamol and Vitamin B1, while they are forced to purchase other necessary medications at exorbitant prices.

According to the statement, prisoners are prohibited from receiving sanitary pads and feminine hygiene products from their families, and are instead pressured to buy them inside the prison at highly inflated prices. Consequently, poor personal hygiene conditions have led to outbreaks of skin diseases among the inmates.

The statement also revealed that responsible officials, including Zin Mar Kyi Aung, the Staff Officer and the officer-in-charge of the female ward, are selling clothes and food to inmates at inflated prices. Additionally, they are extorting up to 50,000 MMK from visiting family members as taxi fares, under the pretext of transporting them back to the Mine Tone Junction.

In response to these human rights violations and life-threatening conditions, WOPP has urged relevant organizations, including human rights bodies, to urgently investigate the situation and take immediate action.