A former parliament in Myanmar said Tuesday that an official from the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) died in detention. Zaw Myat Linn died in custody after the security agencies detained him in the city of Yangon.
Meanwhile, the member of the dissolved parliament, Ba Myo Thein said that Linn actively participated in anti-coup protests and added that now his relatives are trying to retrieve his body at the army hospital. However, the local media and the military authorities did not comment on the news. In recent days, Linn – who ran a vocational training institute in Myanmar’s biggest city – is the second official to die in custody.
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Khin Maung Latt, who worked as the campaign manager for NLD’s parliament member in the 2020 elections – passed away in detention after he was arrested on Saturday. Since the military in Burma overthrew Suu Kyi’s government, the South Asian country has been plunged into crisis. Besides, the anti-coup rallies have taken place almost on a daily basis, with many government officers participating in the nationwide civil disobedience movement.
Moreover, the public resistance against the army rule has prompted a brutal crackdown, and the regime has imposed an internet blackout for almost 24 days as well as thousands of people have been arrested in nighttime curfews. According to data compiled by a local rights organization, as many as 2,000 people have been detained by the military since the coup unfolded.
Associated Press reported that Linn’s family was summoned to retrieve his body, but they were not told the reason for his death. On the other hand, the military said that he hurt himself while climbing over a fence in a bid to escape. The latest deaths in detentions have raised serious concerns over the army torture and killing of political prisoners. Separately, on Tuesday, Myanmar recalled its British ambassador back after he urged the UN to take steps to oust the military regime and restore Suu Kyi’s government.
