Riot in Myanmar prison leaves 1 dead, 63 wounded

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Jan 2023 12:36

The Junta confirms one death and 63 wounded, including police, during the riot in Myanmar prison.

The prison in Myanmar (Myanmar NOW)

After a riot broke out at a prison in Myanmar, the junta confirmed that one prisoner was killed and more than 60 were wounded on Saturday.

The Pathein riot broke out after guards confiscated a phone from an inmate on Thursday night, and around 70 prisoners escaped from their cells and damaged property.

Security forces were attacked with sticks and bricks, while authorities tried to control the situation but resorted to force when they couldn't.

In a statement, the junta said: "The authorities fired guns to break up the crowd and bring the riot under control," adding that one inmate was killed "amid fighting" and 63 got wounded alongside two police and nine guards.

Executions may be war crimes

According to local media, the dead inmate was a political prisoner on terrorism charges. Last week, the junta announced it plans to free more than 7,000 prisoners as a mark of the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence from Britain.

The country has been swarmed with mayhem since Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government was tumbled to the ground in a military coup in February 2021.

On December 30, the Myanmar military court sentenced Suu Kyi to seven years in prison for corruption, a legal source said as quoted by AFP, bringing the 18-month trial to a close.

Suu Kyi was charged with five counts of corruption linked to the employment, procurement, and maintenance of a helicopter that resulted in a "loss to the state," as per the source.

She was imprisoned since the 2021 coup and was convicted on every crime leveled against her, from embezzlement to illegally having walkie-talkies and violating Covid rules.

The coup claimed the lives of 2,700 people with more than 13,000 detained as part of a campaign on dissent. Last year, four prisoners got executed including former lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu also known as "Jimmy".

The executions were the first in about 30 years and caused a worldwide outcry as Human Rights Watch described Myanmar prisons as infamous for harsh conditions and their alleged torture methods.