For Immediate Release: November 10, 2005

A human rights activist, Aung Myint Thein, died in custody on November 6, 2005. He is the fourth political prisoner to have died in the short span of seven months.

At 2 pm on the sixth, Aung Myint Thein died in Insein prison after suffering from severe lung disease. His suffering was compounded by the lack of health care in the prison. The intentional lack of health care and the deliberate neglect of the prison conditions aggravate the suffering of political prisoners to such a degree as to qualify in many cases as torture. Such was the case with Aung Myint Thein.

The SPDC, which sanctions the health care administered in the prisons, is directly responsible for Aung Myint Thein's death.

Prior to his arrest, Aung Myint Thein was a human rights activist based in Rangoon. He collected information on the human rights situation in Burma. He did so at great risk to his personal safety, and with the knowledge that his actions could lead to his arrest. On August 28, 2005, the authorities held a press conference in which they announced that ten people had been arrested, including Aung Myint Thein. They reported that Aung Myint Thein, ' former employee of Industy-1,' was 'given training on the world's labor disputes, employer-employee issues and participated in a mass organizational course for three days.' These activities were deemed a threat to the rule of the SPDC. The regime also announced that Aung Myint Thein's 70 year old father, Thein Lwin Oo, was being detained at that time. He remains in Insein prison to date.

The number of deaths in custody since 1988 is now approaching 100. However, collecting information regarding deaths in custody is extremely difficult as the data collectors themselves often find themselves imprisoned and even killed, as was the case with Aung Myint Thein. The number of deaths in custody is believed to be far higher than the more than 90 cases known.

As long as the regime continues its practice of torture and denies basic health care and adequate prison conditions, creating a situation in which the prisoners live in a constant state of torture, political prisoners will continue to die at the hands of the authorities. The torture of political prisoners must end immediately and the health care and prison conditions must be brought in line with international standards. All incidents of death in custody, including Aung Myint Thein's death, should be investigated in a prompt, impartial and effective manner, and the perpetrators of torture and ill-treatment brought to justice in accordance with the rule of law. Impunity in such cases must end