Rohingya prisoners held in Buthidaung Prison in Myanmar’s Arakan State are dying daily due to severe torture, mistreatment, and malnutrition inflicted by members of the Arakan Army (AA), according to a recently released prisoner. Since May 2024, many Rohingyas have been abducted and imprisoned under fabricated charges, leading to widespread suffering within the prison.
Sources reveal that prisoners are only given food once every two days, and what little they receive is often spoiled. As a result, many inmates are suffering from malnutrition and various diseases. Despite the presence of doctors and a hospital within the prison, medical care is denied to Rohingya prisoners, with AA members allegedly refusing treatment to those who fall ill.
“The prisoners are regularly mistreated and forced to work as laborers under brutal conditions. I personally heard the screams of tortured prisoners and saw many starving for days,” said an eyewitness. Those who succumb to the torture and starvation are buried by fellow prisoners without proper funeral rites, a further violation of their rights, as the AA forbids Muslim funeral prayers.
Buthidaung Prison, the largest of over 10 prisons in the area, holds around 1,000 Rohingya prisoners. The AA’s systematic brutality has led to frequent deaths within the prison. Prisoners who fall ill or are injured during torture are left untreated, while the malnutrition worsens the overall conditions.
