January 5, 2017
Another prisoner has been tortured to death in the notorious Buthidaung prison.
The corpse of 17 year Abdur Rahman (s/o Md Hossain) was handed over to local Muslims in the area who buried him following a religious funeral. Those tortured to death in this notorious prison are generally buried in secret.
Abdur Rahman and 18 others were arrested from Nga Khura on the first day of the crackdown that started on October 9. The fate of the other prisoners are not known.
Hundreds of Rohingyas arrested in the latest crackdown have disappeared, presumed to be mercilessly tortured in the custody of security forces. Buthidaung prison remains the most infamous centre of torture.
Inside the Buthidaung prison
Accounts from inside the Buthidaung prison have revealed gruesome accounts of torture and death. One witness released from the prison earlier said that they were beaten with iron rods like snakes are beaten. The prisoners are beaten as soon as they are brought in through the ‘Red Gate’. The guards first start beating them on the fingers until each of them is broken, and then move to other body parts. Every night in the aftermath of the arrests from the 2012 riots, the guards throw out at least one body, mostly two or three, said another witness who served in the prison during that time.
Another source said many of the men were sexually humiliated in front of their sons-in-laws and fathers and sons were forced to walk together naked. The prisoners are also not allowed to wear any clothes. The teenage prisoners are also raped by the guards.
This treatment is mostly reserved for Rohingyas picked up during operations of security forces. Rakhines and those serving criminal offences are treated less severely. Rakhine prisoners are often used to torture the Muslims.
Around 40 men in the prisons, arrested in recent times have had their hands cut off from the wrists, according to multiple sources.
