11.03.2011

Prisoners in Myanmar Denied Drinking Water



     Amnesty International has issued its second Urgent Action this week for gross human rights abuses in Myanmar (find the first on the 11.01.11 posting of this blog). 
     Fifteen political prisoners, currently on hunger strike in Insein prison in Myanmar, are reportedly being tortured or otherwise ill-treated.  According to sources in Myanmar, they have been denied drinking water, and eight of the prisoners have been held in cells designed to hold dogs.   The dog cells measure about 3m in length, and just over 2m wide.  They are windowless and often have poor ventilation.  There is generally no proper sanitation, no bed and no mats on the floor.  
     By the morning of 1 November it was reported that two of the hunger strikers had been sent to hospital.  The hunger strikers have also been denied visits from their families and receipt of parcels from relatives, which may include medicine, food, or letters.
     The political prisoners, all men, started a hunger strike at Insein prison on 26 October.  The strike is in protest that political prisoners in Myanmar are commonly denied the reductions in their sentences which are allowed to criminal convicts.  
     Please take part in this Urgent Action as soon as possible.

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