Thousands marched for democracy in Myanmar. Some died in prison

Jan 31 (Reuters) – Shwe Theingi was immediately impressed by Wutt Yee Aung when they met at the beginning of their second year at Myanmar’s Dagon University in 2019.

The 19-year-old zoology major stands out with her boyish clothes, short hair and friendly yet outspoken personality, Shwe Theingi said. The two young women, who were active in the student union, quickly became friends.

At about the same time and in the same city, Khant Linn Naing was working in a printing house. At the same time, he was studying history at a different university and was a member of a student union.

All three students were part of the first generation to come of age in semi-democratic Myanmar in decades to enjoy newfound freedoms in the commercial capital ‌Yangon before the February 1, 2021 military coup.

And all three were caught up in a brutal crackdown on tens of thousands of young people who took to the streets to support democracy five years ago.

Many of these protesters took up arms against the junta. Others escaped or were detained in prison, and some died.

At least 74 political prisoners aged 18 to 35 have died in custody since the coup, according to previously unreported data from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, whose information on Myanmar is frequently cited by United Nations agencies.

The count was confirmed by the Myanmar Political Prisoners Network (PPNM), which monitors the country’s prison system. According to PPNM, a total of 273 people who were accused of inciting the public and inciting rebellion after the coup died in prison.

Reuters interviewed three partners and relatives of detained students and two prison watchdog groups and reviewed letters sent by inmates and corrections officers. Together, they offer the most comprehensive account to date of the circumstances under which Wutt Yee Aung and Khant Linn Naing lived and the circumstances of their death.

The news agency could not independently verify all the accounts, but the allegations echo allegations made by UN investigators last year of “systematic torture, killings and other serious violations in detention centers run by Myanmar security forces during interrogations”.

The junta information ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the allegations of mistreatment.

The military government’s foreign ministry last year denied UN reports of torture and abuse without citing specifics. In the statement made in October, it was said: “These one-sided and unfounded claims are persistently made based on such unverified data.”

LOST GENERATION

Arrests, torture and conscription, as well as displacement within and outside Myanmar, “disproportionately affect the younger generation”, a UN report published last year said.

It is estimated that around 300,000 to 500,000 young people have fled the country of about 51 million people since the coup, according to the UN Development Programme.

Shwe Theingi left Yangon as the 2021 crackdown began. Wutt Yee Aung remained participating in the anti-junta resistance until his arrest in September 2021.

He was sentenced to seven years in Yangon’s notorious Insein prison after a junta court convicted him of charges that included rebellion and sedition.

He kept in touch with his family and Shwe Theingi through letters and occasional phone calls.

“Mom, I hope you are well,” Wutt Yee Aung said in a letter he wrote from prison in February 2024. “I’m out of snacks and medicine, so please transfer 200,000 kyats.”

The hand-written plea, worth about $100 at official exchange rates, also included a list of medications, including some used to treat nerve damage and asthma.

Wutt Yee Aung suffered a head injury during interrogation two weeks after his arrest, according to Shwe Theingi and the Dagon University Students Union, who also stated that he “did not have any health problems before his incarceration.”

Shwe Theingi said his health eventually deteriorated so much that he was hospitalized in prison at least once in mid-2025.

In an undated letter sent to Shwe Theingi, Wutt Yee Aung requested approximately $150 for medical testing. “Please don’t tell my mom about this,” she wrote, “I miss everyone.”

Wutt Yee Aung died in prison on July 19, 2025, at the age of 25. Shwe Theingi said authorities told his family that the cause of death was heart disease.

The student union issued a statement objecting to the junta version of his death.

“Due to the lack of adequate medical treatment for political prisoners, lack of medication, and restricted communication with his family, Ma Wutt Yee Aung died in prison at around 9:30 pm on July 19, 2025,” using an honorific in his name. It was said.

FATAL TRANSMISSION

Khant Linn Naing’s family learned of his arrest from television news.

The 19-year-old was arrested in December 2021 and charged with inciting people to commit crimes and rebellion against the state. He was held in Daik-U prison, about 110 kilometers from Yangon, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the junta court.

In July 2023, his family was shaken again, this time by a letter from the penal institution stating that Khant Linn Naing had been shot and killed while trying to escape during prison transfer.

The contents of the letter were described to Reuters by a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Reuters also viewed a letter sent by prison officials in June 2023 to the family of another inmate at Daik-U, stating that he was killed after “security personnel fired warning shots” while trying to escape during transfer.

A colonial-era rulebook that a lawyer and a prison watchdog said is still used by correctional institutions only allows authorities to use weapons such as firearms against inmates trying to escape “when there are no other means to prevent the inmate from escaping,” according to a section of the manual reviewed by Reuters.

Neither death notice provided further information about the circumstances of the alleged escape attempts, and the junta’s information ministry did not respond to requests for specific details.

The relative said Khant Linn Naing’s parents were not given access to his body and did not hold a funeral for more than two years after receiving notification.

“We don’t believe he is dead because the letter is very vague,” the person said.

PPNM spokesman Thaik Tun Oo said he found it unreasonable for Khant Linn Naing to try to escape because prisoners are usually restrained and matched with police officials during transfer.

He added that his organization had been informed by prison sources that Khant Linn Naing had been subjected to harsh interrogation shortly before the alleged transfer.

In the years after Wutt Yee Aung and Khant Linn Naing protested the junta, youth uprisings roiled politics and toppled governments elsewhere in Asia, including Bangladesh and Nepal.

But Myanmar’s generals resisted. Although they lost territory in the border areas, the junta responded by introducing conscription and expanding air power. This month, a three-stage election concluded that will likely bring a military-backed party to power.

“I wanted to be a news anchor. Wutt Yee wanted to do more volunteer work,” said Shwe Theingi. “We each had different dreams.”

(Reporting by Reuters Staff, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Katerina Ang)