December 8, 2016
Around 40 men detained in the Buthidaung prison have had both their hands cut off from the wrist. The account has been confirmed by two different sources from the prison.
Our sources have not confirmed the circumstances in which these men were arrested. However, it is confirmed they have been arrested in the last few days. These men all seem to be religious scholars. The skin of their cheeks from which their beards used to sprout have also been taken off using sharp instruments.
The men are currently being fed by the other Muslim prisoners.
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, the guards throw out at least one body, mostly two or three, said another witness who served in the prison during 2012.
Another source said many of the men were sexually humiliated in front of their sons-in-laws. 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.
Rathedaung arrestees transferred to Kawa Bil BGP headquarters
The Hlun Htein once again raided Cinghali in Rathedaung on Wednesday and arrested two more men for allegations of working for the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation. Experts consider the group to be defunct but security forces have often arrested and tortured Rohingyas for having membership of the group.
The arrested men have been identified as Imam Hossain and Jahnagir. Altogether four people have been arrested in the last two days, all of them who are educated youth who had worked for the welfare of the local community.
The men have been taken to the BGP headquarters in Kawa Bil. A witness who have since fled to Bangladesh reported seeing scores of prisoners who have had their eyes gouged out.
Rape orgy and shootings in Bura Shida Para
Tatmadaw entered the restive village tract of Bura Shida Para on Tuesday morning firing their weapons on the fleeing Rohingyas. At this time, at least two Rohingyas were wounded in the gunfire. 37 of the men who were in hiding were also apprehended. They are likely to be mercilessly tortured.
The Tatmadaw also caught some of the fleeing women, took them to a nearby field, and forced them to take off their clothes. Some of them were taken to a secluded place and raped.
There was also widespread damage to property as soldiers accompanied by Rakhine collaborators went house to house smashing everything they could. Some of the Rohingyas who returned overnight said not only was there no food left, but even the cooking pots were gone.
The village tract of Bura Shida Para has been under continuous assault since October. Many men have been killed, while women have been raped and sexually assaulted. Even children as young as 10 have been arrested, and disappeared. Eye witnesses have reported dead bodies floating in the river, while others have said corpses have piled up in the streets near the village.
