Bodies of 7 political prisoners discovered in Myanmar’s Rakhine state

Junta forces in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, reportedly shot and killed seven people, including a journalist and a prominent social media commentator, who were arrested in the city of Mrauk-U.

The bodies were found after the Arakan Army captured the city, marking a significant development in the ongoing civil war that began after the military takeover in February 2021.

When fighting escalated on Jan. 31, two soldiers shot the seven prisoners and buried them in a bomb shelter near Mrauk-U Hospital, Radio Free Asia noted.

According to the report, most of the victims were in their 20s to 40s, and their families were not informed of their deaths.

Resistance troops have also discovered the bodies of two other civilians reportedly killed by junta forces in separate incidents.

Some 34 political prisoners died in military junta’s prisons across Myanmar in 2023, with 18 killed inside jails and 16 others dying due to a lack of medical treatment, according to a human rights monitoring group.

The killing of political prisoners has no place in the teachings of true Islam. During their governance, the Holy Prophet and Amir al-Mu’minin, peace be upon them and their pure family, never held people in prison or mistreated them on grounds of political dissent or ideological disagreements.