JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Many in Myanmar and abroad were shaken Thursday by an interview conducted by US-funded Radio Free Asia that described conditions for detainees held at the Shwe Yamin Htet interrogation center in Yangon in the third month of the country’s military coup. A 17-year old detainee released by authorities Tuesday described grotesque violence – including sexual abuse – committed by police against multiple young detainees held after protests.

As broadcast originally on RFA’s Burmese service, the report made one of our female Myanmar law student correspondents violently ill. Another one of our correspondents provided this report and perspective Friday:

The military is not only killing people without even avoiding children but also there are sexual harrassment cases on the arrestees who are girls committed by the military and Myanmar police officers at the interrogation camp. Recently RFA has interviewed the 17 year-old girl who was taken to the interrogation camp in Shwepyithar township, yangon on april 15 but was released on april 20.

Acording to the interview, the arrestees who are taken to the interrogation camp are constanly beaten and tortured by the military. Among the arrestees, Ma khin Nyein thu ( female aged 31) is one of the victims. Ma Khin Nyein Thu was seized by the military on 18th, April, 2021 in Yankin protests along with six fellow protestors, accusing them of violence by the military council.

They were all beaten brutally by terrorist policemen/ soldiers, and their tortured photos were included in MWD 8pm news.

As it’s shown [in pictures widely circulated on the internet], she was beaten up to the most of her face; her lips bleeding and her cheeks swollen. It’s believed that she is still in interrogation and beaten constantly. While she is still in interrogation, she gets assulted sexually (physical and verbal).

She doesn’t get to meet her family or she didn’t get any treatment for her wounds like all the other detainees detained by the military.

We believe that there are thousands of “Ma Khin Nyein Thu”, who were arrested unjustly, and treated brutally , assulted sexually by the military officers.

Now people are raising thier voice and demanding

• The right to protection for the arrested ones
• No woman gets assaulted (physically or verbally) at interrogations.
• The beaten ones get immediate medical treatment (or) medications by doctors / physicians.
• Arrestees get to meet with their family and their lawyers in a proper way.