Amnesty International

[Ed. Note: This report, which was transmitted by the online newspaper BurmaNet News, is a summary of an 18-page document issued by Amnesty International (AI) on Dec. 13, 2000. Materials on this topic and other subjects are available at http://www.amnesty.org, and Amnesty International news releases can be received by e-mail at www.amnesty.org/news/emailnws.htm.]

Torture and ill-treatment have become institutionalised in Burma. They are practised by the army as part of counterinsurgency activities, by military intelligence personnel when they interrogate political detainees, by prison guards and by the police. Patterns of torture have remained the same, although the time and place vary. Torture occurs throughout the country and has been reported for four decades. Members of the security forces continue to use torture as a means of extracting information, to punish political prisoners and members of ethnic minorities and as a means of instilling fear in anyone critical of the military government.

Torture and the ill-treatment of political prisoners and ethnic minorities in Burma are commonplace and have been reported by Amnesty International (AI) for more than 12 years. However, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) consistently denies that torture occurs in Burma, stating that it is against domestic law. Articles 330 and 331 of the Burmese Penal Code of 1957, which are believed to remain in force, prohibit torture and ill-treatment during interrogation. However, to AI’s knowledge, no one has been charged or tried under these provisions.

Political prisoners, believed to number about 1,700 people, are at risk of torture during the initial phases of detention when they are often interrogated for hours or even days at a time by rotating teams of military intelligence personnel. They are also vulnerable to torture and ill-treatment after sentencing when they can be punished for breaking arbitrary prison rules, such as possessing writing paper. Moreover, criminal prisoners are used by the authorities to work in labour camps to break up stones or construct roads and where conditions are so harsh that hundreds, perhaps thousands, have reportedly died due to ill-treatment, overwork and a lack of food and medical care.

Former torture victims refer to specific torture techniques which are employed consistently by military intelligence personnel during the initial interrogation. These methods include having an iron bar rolled repeatedly up and down one’s shins until the skin peels off, known as the ‘iron road’; near suffocation; and electric shock applied to various parts of the body. An extensive network of military intelligence centres operates throughout the country where these practices are common. When political detainees are arrested, they are usually taken first to these centres, which are known by their assigned numbers. After sentencing, they are normally transferred to one of 20 of Burma’s 43 prisons where conditions vary but, in general, amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Ethnic minority civilians living in areas of counterinsurgency operations by the Burmese army, or tatmadaw, are also at risk of torture and ill-treatment. Members of ethnic minorities in areas where armed opposition groups are active have been seized by the tatmadaw and interrogated and tortured to extract information about the whereabouts of armed ethnic minority groups. In addition, they face torture and ill-treatment when they are taken by the tatmadaw and forced to carry heavy supplies as porters for days or weeks at a time. If they are not able to keep up with the military column, they are often severely beaten and kicked by troops. Ethnic minority women in areas of counterinsurgency activities can also be at risk of rape if they are taken to porter for the military.

Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is universally condemned in international human rights and humanitarian law. In order to prevent torture in Burma, AI recommends that the SPDC issue clear orders to all security forces to stop the practice, initiate prompt and impartial investigations into allegations of torture and ill-treatment, bring those found responsible to justice and accede to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.