SAGAING DIVISION – In the cells at Monywa Police Station No. 1, 200 detainees under political charges and around 150 detainees under other charges have been unjustly detained and subjected to multiple human rights abuses, stated Myanmar Political Prisoners Network (MPPN).
A leading committee member of MPPN, Mr. Taik Tun Oo said that among the detainees at the three cells in Monywa Police Station No. 1, there are 20 underaged children and that the detainees are being subjected to even worse human rights than those in prison.
“By rights, no detainees should be detained for more than 24 hours. Detaining them for this long for no justifiable reason is also a blatant violation of human rights. The detainees are placed in the cells at the police station even though there is no solid evidence or charges against them. Because of that, the cells are crowded and the detainees are not even given enough meals. Moreover, they also don’t get basic healthcare,” said Mr. Taik Tun Oo.
Those detained at the cells in No. 1 Police Station are said to be losing their rights to sufficient meals, meeting family once a month as well as sufficient healthcare.
In addition, policewomen under the terrorist junta council, Officer in charge Wai Wai Myint, Moe Moe Lwin and Office Clerk Chit Nyo Nyo are reported to always come to the women’s cells to curse at the detainees. As of January 27, around 200 people have been illegitimately detained at the police station for a year without being charged in court, according to MPPN.
“At a time when even prisoners in prisons are having their human rights violated, the police station is not a prison so they must release the detainees if they could not find any charges against them. Even if they were arrested based on strong evidence, the police station is not a prison. It can only arrest and charge them in court. It doesn’t have the rights to detain people for this long,” explained Mr. Taik Tun Oo.