Reports Say Myanmar’s Military Council Demands Ransom for Release of Detained Muslims

Reports Say Myanmar’s Military Council Demands Ransom for Release of Detained Muslims
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Local reports and testimonies from members of the Muslim community in Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine (Arakan) State, say the ruling military council is demanding financial payments in exchange for the release of detained Muslims, in practices described as organized extortion carried out without clear legal procedures.

More details in the following report:

According to local Muslim residents, a number of detainees have been officially released from prison but remain under de facto detention in residential neighborhoods in Sittwe. Families are reportedly being forced to pay about 2.5 million Myanmar kyats per person to secure their full freedom.

Local media reported that around 100 Muslim women were released on January 29, followed by the release of 60 Muslim men on January 30, with additional releases on January 31. However, those freed were transferred to the Baw Du Pha, Bumae, and Aung Mingalar neighborhoods in Sittwe, where they are reportedly subject to conditions resembling house arrest.

Amid difficult economic and living conditions in Rakhine State, many Muslims have attempted to leave the area by sea. According to reports, military council forces arrested those attempting to flee and detained them in Sittwe Prison, as well as in displacement camps and residential areas within the city, with accounts of financial extortion linked to their detention.

Local residents said more than 400 Muslims, including women and children, remain detained in Sittwe, without formal charges or clear information about the duration of their detention.

In a related development, local reports indicate that Myanmar’s military council is imposing forced conscription on Muslims. Some individuals recruited into militias aligned with the council have reportedly fled due to mistreatment and abuses within these forces.

Rakhine State has for years been subject to severe restrictions on the movement of Muslims, particularly in Sittwe, where thousands have lived under strict security measures since the outbreak of sectarian violence in 2012.

Since the escalation of armed conflict following the military coup in 2021, cases of arbitrary detention and abuses against civilians have increased, including restrictions on movement, employment, and livelihoods. Human rights reports say that attempts by Muslims to leave the state often end in arrest and detention without clear legal justification.