The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) released a statement revealing that 148 political prisoners have died while being arbitrarily arrested and detained in prisons across Myanmar due to lack of adequate medical care.
PPNM stated that the mortality rate among political prisoners is rising, alongside human rights violations and deplorable prison conditions.
According to data collected by PPNM, a total of 148 political prisoners died during their arbitrary arrest and detention across 32 prisons nationwide between July 2021 and May 2026, as a consequence of receiving insufficient medical treatment.
PPNM’s report indicates that among the 148 deceased political prisoners, 86 percent were male, 13 percent were female, and 1 percent identified as LGBT.
The majority of the deceased political prisoners were working age adults between 36 and 55 years old; the total number also included two children and youth under the age of 17, as well as elderly individuals over the age of 70.
PPNM further stated that because healthcare within prisons is designated only as a secondary priority and timely medical treatment is restricted, political prisoners have lost their lives to conditions that could have been prevented and/or were treatable.
The primary causes of death were chronic illnesses such as heart disease, liver failure, hypertension, diabetes and cancer, which accounted for the highest toll with 64 fatalities. Additionally, 16 deaths were caused by acute infectious diseases like Covid-19, sepsis and tuberculosis, alongside oxygen deprivation. There were also 7 deaths due to torture, while other fatalities resulted from gastrointestinal problems requiring emergency surgery including stomach diseases, gastric ulcers, ruptured gastric veins and appendicitis-as well as severe illnesses and malnutrition.
The majority of the deceased political prisoners were detainees serving prison sentences ranging from three months to five years, as well as pretrial detainees. They were individuals arrested under unjust legal sections exploited by the military junta to suppress the momentum of the revolution.
PPNM stated that the shortage of medicine and delayed treatments inside prisons clearly prove that the military junta is publicly lying to the international community by claiming that political prisoners receive adequate medical care.
