Systematic Denial of Healthcare in Detention Behind Alarming Deaths in Custody, Rights Groups Warn

August 5, 2025

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), alongside 15 national and international organizations, has joined a joint public statement organized by Amnesty International, expressing deep concern over the rising number of deaths in junta custody across Myanmar. HURFOM strongly agreed to support this urgent call, which highlights the systematic denial of healthcare, widespread torture, and the inhumane conditions detainees face inside military-run prisons. Since the February 2021 military coup, over 1,800 people have reportedly died while in detention, many as a result of untreated injuries and the lack of proper medical care.

According to information documented between January and July 2025, at least 70 detainees died in custody. Among them was Ma Wutt Yee Aung, a 26-year-old student activist, who died around 19 July 2025 at Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison. Arrested in September 2021, her death is believed to be linked to head injuries sustained during interrogation and the prison authorities’ refusal to allow treatment, even after repeated appeals from her family.

On the same day, Ko Pyae Sone Aung, a 44-year-old NLD representative from Belin Township, Mon State, also died inside Thaton Prison. According to documentation by HURFOM and eyewitness accounts, he and four others were beaten with batons and kicked, despite suffering from serious pre-existing conditions including hypertension and diabetes. Arrested in January 2022 and sentenced to six years for sedition and terrorism, Ko Pyae was denied access to life-saving medical care, contributing to his death.

These tragic deaths are not isolated cases. Earlier in July, two more political prisoners reportedly died in separate facilities due to untreated medical complications. In addition, 59 detainees perished during the collapse of Obo Prison in Mandalay following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in March 2025, many of whom were being held arbitrarily for their support of opposition movements.

Despite these repeated and well-documented violations, the military junta has not held a single official accountable for the mounting deaths in detention. A September 2024 report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) describes torture and ill-treatment in military custody as “pervasive,” particularly in interrogation centers and prisons such as Tharyarwaddy in Bago Region. Detainees are subjected to severe beatings, sexual violence, psychological abuse, and prolonged solitary confinement. Those who protest or call attention to their treatment often face further punishment, transfer to remote prisons, or death during transit.

The Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar reported that at least 190 political prisoners have died since the coup due to abusive interrogation, medical neglect, and other inhumane conditions. Many were jailed simply for expressing opposition to military rule or participating in peaceful protests.

The joint statement also underscores the broader context of human rights abuses in Myanmar. Since February 2021, over 7,000 civilians have been killed, nearly 30,000 people arbitrarily detained, and more than 3.5 million internally displaced by the junta’s scorched-earth tactics, including indiscriminate airstrikes, attacks on civilian shelters, and the blocking of humanitarian aid. These may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, the statement warns.

HURFOM and other co-signatories are urgently calling on the military junta to:

Immediately end torture and other ill-treatment of detainees.

Ensure timely access to adequate healthcare in line with the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules).

Allow detainees to receive hospital care outside of prisons when needed.

Facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and essential supplies by family members and humanitarian actors.

Grant independent access to detention centers for medical professionals and international monitors.