The Associated Press (AP) has released an investigative report revealing that the Myanmar military has been torturing prisoners in a “methodical and systematic” manner since taking over the government in February.
The report is based on interviews with 28 people who were recently released by the military. AP’s investigation covered images, sketches, and letters, as well as testimony from three recently defected military personnel, and found that that military has detained more than 9,000 people. Furthermore, since February, the army and the police have killed more than 1,200 civilians.
The investigation disclosed Thursday that the military had turned public places like halls and a royal palace into interrogation centers. The military detained prisoners from all corners of the country and diverse ethnic groups, ranging from a 16-year-old girl to monks. They even imprisoned a woman with her 2-year-old baby. Some people were jailed for demonstrating against the military, while others were held for no apparent cause.
AP reported at least 131 prisoners were tortured to death out of the 1218 deaths recorded. Moreover, the majority of torture methods described by detainees were similar to those employed by the military before 2010, including “deprivation of sleep, food and water; electric shocks; being forced to hop like frogs, and relentless beatings with cement-filled bamboo sticks, batons, fists and the prisoners’ own shoes.”
Lin Htet Aung, a former captain in the Myanmar military, said, “in our country, after being arrested unfairly, there is torture, violence and sexual assaults happening constantly.” He added further, “even a war captive needs to be treated and taken care of by law. All of that is gone with the coup.” He also revealed the interrogation tactics taught in military training.
In response to AP’s investigation, the US State Department said that it was “outraged and disturbed” and demanded a thorough investigation into the issue. Last week, a UN expert had also warned of a spike in atrocities in Myanmar.
