Reported by Yangon Khit Thit Media

Yangon, May 3

Political prisoner and Islamic religious leader Ko Myat Ko was brutally beaten to death by prison officials led by Magway Central Prison Director Min Lwin Oo (a.k.a. “Kywe Gyi”), according to sources inside the prison.

The incident occurred on April 27 when Min Lwin Oo, along with deputy directors Thein Win and Win Naing, and Block (3) officer Kyaw San Oo, subjected Ko Myat Ko to severe torture under the pretext of punishment, leading to his death.

“This was not a fight—he was intentionally killed,” a prison source revealed. “There had been prior disputes between Ko Myat Ko and prison staff over religious matters. When they got the chance, they shackled him, forced him to endure scorching sun exposure, and beat him mercilessly.”

Ko Myat Ko’s body was found completely shaved—his hair, beard, and mustache forcibly removed—before he was killed. His corpse bore injuries from head to toe, with evidence suggesting he was repeatedly beaten in an open yard under the sun, morning and evening, by the four officers.

“Min Lwin Oo (Kywe Gyi) ordered his beard and hair shaved. Thein Win punched him in the stomach at least five times. Win Naing struck his back and head with a baton. Kyaw San Oo punched his face repeatedly. Even while being beaten, Min Lwin Oo forced guards to shave him with clippers,” an inside source described. “Ko Myat Ko kept a long beard for religious reasons, but Min Lwin Oo, who harbors deep anti-Muslim prejudice, deliberately targeted him.”

Prison sources urged family members, political groups, and religious organizations to demand justice for Ko Myat Ko’s unlawful killing. Failure to hold the perpetrators accountable, they warned, would endanger other prisoners’ lives. Authorities must investigate prison abuses and re-examine medical reports from prison doctors involved in the case.

Additionally, sources confirmed that Min Lwin Oo has a history of torturing inmates he dislikes, including beating political prisoners who delay reporting for medical treatment.

(Credit: Yangon Khit Thit Media)