Behind bars in Burma, prisoners describe themselves as within a “living tomb”, while referring to the world beyond the bars as the “human realm”.

Now, in the years following the 2021 military coup, political prisoners have been struggling to survive with utmost vigilance in order to make it out of this graveyard alive.

The harsh reality of the conditions inside prisons is highlighted in this report, “Surviving Behind Bars: The Endurance and Coping Mechanisms of Political Prisoners” under the Military Dictatorship.

The report draws on the firsthand experiences of 27 political prisoners who were released alive from various prisons over the past years. It uses personal accounts of former political prisoners, detailing how authorities under the military junta commit gross violations inside prisons. Such violations include sexual abuse under the guise of security searches. These violations are committed from the first moment they enter the prison.

Download for Full Statement “Surviving Behind Bar”