In a harrowing revelation, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reports that since the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, a staggering 1,132 women have been killed, and 5,649 have been arrested by the junta. The data, which spans from the coup's onset to the end of August this year, reflects only the verified cases, and the actual numbers are likely much higher, according to the AAPP, an independent rights organization.

The report, titled "Women Behind Bars in the Spring Revolution," highlights the critical role women have played in the resistance against the military regime, leading protests and facing brutal repression in return. Despite the widespread killings, arrests, torture, and sexual violence, women across Myanmar remain steadfast in their defiance.

The AAPP report attributes the deaths of these women to shelling, bombings, and torture during interrogations conducted in prisons and police stations. The violence against women has been particularly severe in cities like Yangon, where 1,440 women have been arrested, followed by Mandalay with 929 cases, and Sagaing with 705. The report underscores the nationwide reach of the junta's crackdown.

Arbitrary detentions, often justified by the junta through politically motivated charges, have left women vulnerable to severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from the moment of their arrest through interrogation and imprisonment. In some instances, female prisoners were killed during interrogation, with their deaths going unreported, and families of political activists also being targeted.

Ma Zu Zu May Yoon, from the Women's Organization of Political Prisoners (WOPP), herself a former political prisoner, emphasized the dire conditions for women in detention, noting that even pregnant women have been arrested. Her organization is striving to provide food and medicine to those still imprisoned.

The AAPP is urging the international community to intensify efforts to hold the Myanmar junta accountable for these atrocities and to take immediate action against those responsible.

BOB Post