MANDALAY DIVISION – The women imprisoned at Mandalay’s Ohbo Prison under political charges are made to shower early in the morning then forced to sit outside in bath wear, leading to around three quarters of the female political prisoners falling ill but were denied medical treatment, reported family members of the political prisoners.
“They are forced to wake up early in the morning and shower in the winter. It is mandatory. They are made to sit in their bath wear in the corridor and ordered to shower in a group of four or five at one time when around 20-30 people can shower at the same time. They are being subjected to various types of abuse. As a result, many have fallen ill,” said an acquaintance of a long term prisoner of conscience.
In addition, there are also cases where the female prisoners are ordered to take off their winter wear and sit in discipline form as early as 5 a.m. and those with prevailing nervous system issues are said to have developed fibromyalgia and shrinking of feet due to the cold.
“As for receiving medical care, they don’t dare get admitted to the prison hospital as they will be moved somewhere else. They have to treat themselves with available medicine,” said a family member of a political prisoner.
It is said that the female prisoners of conscience are frequently subjected to those abuse and would be subjected to similar abuse if they get into a disagreement with the prisoner in charge of the cell.
Moreover, even though inspection of the cells was usually done once every six weeks before, now the prison officers would inspect the cells almost three times a week and confiscate items brought in with their permission, calling them contraband, shared a male prisoner who was released from Ohbo Prison.
Ohbo Prison is notorious for its oppression of political prisoners and there were also female political prisoners who vanished after arriving at the prison, according to family members of political prisoners.