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Myanmar junta extends sentences of 63 protesting prisoners

They demonstrated against torture and the death penalty.

By RFA Burmese 2023.09.26 -- Myanmar's junta authorities extended the prison sentences of 63 political prisoners for taking part in a protest in Ayeyarwady's Pathein Prison, a prisoner rights group said Tuesday.

The Political Prisoner Network Myanmar said the prisoners protested against plans to hang a teacher in the prison and the beating of another inmate who was discovered with a mobile phone.

In August, 26 of the protesters had their sentences extended by three years for damaging public property while 37 were sentenced to an additional three years for causing pain to a prison employee.

The following month some of those inmates received an extra three years for inflicting serious pain on a public servant.

Officials of the Political Prisoner Network said they didn't know the names of all the inmates who had been sentenced but were trying to find out the details.

A family member of one political prisoner in Pathein Prison, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Radio Free Asia that some of the punished inmates already faced sentences of up to 20 years.

When RFA contacted an official from Pathein Prison, he refused to answer questions about the additional punishments. Calls to the prison department in Yangon by RFA seeking comment went unanswered.

A family member of another inmate said he was worried about the wellbeing of the prisoners who were given longer sentences.

"I felt bad when the sentences were increased," they said.

"They will be mentally and physically worse off."

Nearly 25,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the Feb. 2021 coup according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

More than 19,000 are still being held in various prisons.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.

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