BANGKOK — At least 74 Myanmar political prisoners ages 18 to 35 have died in custody since the military seized power in 2021, according to prison-monitoring groups. The newly compiled toll comes as a U.N. investigative body says torture in detention is systematic and sometimes lethal, Jan. 31, 2026.
The youth death tally is based on previously unreported data gathered by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners and corroborated with the Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar, according to a Reuters review of prison-monitor data. The groups said families, inmate letters and prison notifications frequently point to abuse, untreated injuries and blocked hospital access.
Myanmar political prisoners: young detainees dying behind bars
The monitors said the 74 deaths are a subset of 273 people who have died in custody after being jailed on post-coup incitement or insurrection cases. Many were part of the first generation to come of age during Myanmar’s short democratic opening, then were swept up in mass arrests after protests against the coup. For Myanmar political prisoners, the monitors said, the first weeks in custody often determine whether they survive.
Wutt Yee Aung, a student activist from Dagon University, died in Yangon’s Insein Prison on July 19, 2025, at 25. Prison authorities told her family she had a heart condition, while student organizers said injuries sustained during interrogation and a lack of adequate treatment contributed to her death.
Another detainee, Khant Linn Naing, was arrested at 19 and later sentenced to 15 years. Prison officials notified his family that he was shot and killed during a transfer in July 2023, but relatives were not allowed to see his remains and prison monitors questioned whether an escape attempt was plausible.
U.N. probe describes systematic torture
The U.N.-mandated Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said its latest annual findings documented torture in detention facilities, including beatings, electric shocks, strangulation and sexual violence. “We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,” head Nicholas Koumjian said.
The mechanism’s report to the U.N. Human Rights Council, covering July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, said it drew on more than 1,300 sources and has advanced efforts to identify perpetrators tied to specific facilities and security units.
Myanmar’s military-led government has repeatedly denied allegations of abuse and has not responded to multiple requests for comment on the reported deaths and detention conditions, according to monitors cited by Reuters.
The crackdown has also driven many young people out of the country. UNDP’s “A Generation on the Move” report, based on responses from more than 7,000 young people nationwide, estimated that 300,000 to 500,000 have relocated abroad since 2021.
Long before this week’s youth toll, reports signaled the danger facing Myanmar political prisoners: a March 2021 Al Jazeera story described an opposition figure dying in custody amid torture allegations; Human Rights Watch said in 2022 that deaths in custody often showed signs of torture or denial of medical care; and Radio Free Asia reported that 31 political prisoners died in prisons across Myanmar in 2024, citing poor health care and inhumane treatment.
Rights advocates say the fresh data adds urgency to calls for independent access to detention sites, medical care that meets basic standards and due process for Myanmar political prisoners — as well as accountability for those responsible for torture and deaths behind bars.
