New arrests revive concern that nonviolent political protesters in Myanmar may be tortured

BANGKOK — Concern was rising on Friday that two nonviolent activists opposed to military rule in Myanmar are at high risk of torture after being arrested in raids this week in Yangon, the country’s biggest city.

Paing Phyo Min, 27, a leading member of AJAY — the Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon — and Shein Wai Aung, a participant in peaceful protests, were arrested separately on Wednesday night, one of AJAY’s leaders, Nan Lin, told The Associated Press.

He said that four other young activists were arrested just hours after participating in a brief Sept. 19 protest in Yangon against high commodity prices and military conscription.

The arrests are a reminder that even as the military engages in armed combat against pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic rebels in the countryside and remote areas, they also seek to bottle up political opposition in major urban areas.

AJAY’s Nan Lin said he was worried that the arrested protesters are at high risk of torture by interrogators. He said Paing Phyo Min and Shein Wai Aung were sent to an interrogation center, and there has been no contact with any of the detainees.

Rights groups and media, including The Associated Press, have reported extensively on the use of torture on detainees.

On its Facebook page, AJAY on Thursday called on the international community and Myanmar's strike committees to exert pressure on the military government to safeguard the detained protesters, expressing particular concern for Paing Phyo Min.

Paing Phyo Min is known for his involvement with a group of young people performing Thangyat, a traditional Burmese art form in which the participants present satirical poetry and songs.

He was arrested in 2019 along with three others after taking part in Thangyat performances dressed as soldiers. He was sentenced to six years in prison for sedition, but released in April 2021 under a mass amnesty.

Nonviolent demonstrations were the main form of protest immediately after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. After the security forces suppressed them with lethal force, many opponents of the military launched armed resistance, and much of the country is now embroiled in fighting.

“Protesting in Myanmar today is not the same as it was before the coup. Anyone involved in any kind of dissent against the military faces long jail terms, torture and other ill-treatment, and even death in custody,” said Joe Freeman, the Myanmar researcher for the human rights group Amnesty International.

“In Myanmar’s prison system, there is little hope of fair treatment, no transparency, and extremely substandard conditions. Interrogation centers, where these two activists have likely been sent, are also notorious locations of abuse where torture has been used to extract information before charges are formally brought.”

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tabulates arrests and deaths, at least 5,800 people have been killed and 27,529 people have been arrested by the security forces since the army takeover.

After the crackdowns on street demonstrations in 2021, protests have become fewer in number and usually take the form of flash mobs.

Protesters quickly gather, carrying flags, banners or torches, and chant for the overthrow of the military government and the release of civilian leaders currently in detention. They disperse after a few minutes, minimizing the possibility of confrontation with police or soldiers.

According to Nan Lin and statements from activist groups in Yangon, the four activists arrested on Sept. 19 were Zaw Lin Htut, also known as Poe Thar, a University Students’ Union Alumni Force co-founder and freelance photojournalist; Aung Min Khaing and Mya Myintzu, members of the Youth Strike Committee; and Hnin Ei Khaing, a former political prisoner.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-government, at a Tuesday meeting on security and development , told army officers and administrative officials that they must collaborate in maintaining security and peace in greater Yangon, and constantly watch to prevent armed-opponents from infiltrating into the wards and villages, state media reported.