| Thousands of political activists have been imprisoned in Myanmar over the years. The often overcrowded conditions and human rights abuses have now been documented by a museum in neighboring Thailand. DW takes a look.
Read Justin Higginbottom’s report
Police in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, came for Min Thwe Thit before dawn on February 1, 2021. He didn’t know why they had come — or what was unfolding in the Southeast Asian nation.
Min Thwe Thit has worked in pro-democracy movements since he was 17, eventually becoming a leader in the All Burma Federation of Student Unions.
Now he’s 40 years old and wears a T-shirt emblazoned with an image of Che Guevara.
Speaking from a sparse safe house in neighboring Thailand, he recalled that day in 2021 during which his interrogators put a black bag over his head and kept him awake without water for days.
Over the last two years, Myanmar’s ruling junta has locked away, tortured and killed those suspected of challenging their rule. At least 13,000 political prisoners are currently behind bars in the country, according to the UN.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners works to shed light on human rights abuses using sources still in the country. Before the coup, the museum in Mae Sot had only one photo of a prisoner executed by the military. Now there are five. More will come.
“We knew we were fighting in this revolution not only for the future but also for the past,” said Neo, 32, a doctor who fled Myanmar after the coup.
Read the rest of Justin’s report |
