A Mon prisoner in Mawlamyaing "died of torture"
The wife of a political prisoner who died in custody says her husband
was beaten to death.
Furthermore, the prison authorities cremated the body
without the family's knowledge.
Min Tun Wei is Mon and an NLD member from Kyaikmayaw Township in
Mon State. He was arrested on 26 May and sent to prison on 28 May. He was said
to have died two days later at Mawlamyaing Prison.
Died days after arrest
According to his wife, Ma Hla Ohn Mai, an eyewitness
told her precisely what happened.
"On the night of 29th, Min Tun Wei became unconscious
after receiving beatings. When he regained consciousness, he was told
'Aren't you dead yet? Are you still making noise?' and was hit in the back
of his head three times. The eye witness said it was when Min Tun Wei died."
The doctor who performed post-mortem on Min Tun Wei
told her at first that he seemed to have suffered a cerebral haemorrhage.
But she said when pressed with the information she has
received, he admitted seeing "injuries on Min Tun Wei's hands and legs that
are consistent with being tied with ropes."
Three deaths so far
The family members have notified both the police and
the NLD about not receiving the body back.
An NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win said the prison's action
is not in accordance with the law and if he did die of torture, they will
ask the court to take action.
He also says letter notifying the family of his death
reached them on 31 May. It stated that cremation would take place on the
same day. But the family later found out he was cremated a day before.
An Amnesty International report released in June this
year said at least three prisoners, including Min Tun Wei, have died in
custody in suspicious circumstances since January.
The bodies were never returned to their families.
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