Many people have been arbitrarily arrested in night attacks and their families do not know where their loved ones are or what conditions they are in, the United Nations said. Human Rights Watch said that people who forcibly disappeared are more likely to be subjected to torture or ill-treatment than other prisoners.
Zaw Myat Lynn, of the National League for Democracy (NLD), died in custody on Tuesday after being arrested in the largest city in Yangon, Reuters reported, citing the ousted congressman Ba Myo Thein.
The Watchdog Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP) released a statement saying “Zaw Myat Lynn, who was the head of an educational institute, was pronounced dead today from injuries consistent with torture after an arbitrary night attack.”
The exact cause of death is still unknown, but AAPP added that Zaw Myat Lynn was subjected to beatings.
Just before his arrest, Zaw Myat Lynn posted a live stream on Facebook that said, “I want to encourage all citizens across the country that we will be protesting 24/7 against the dictatorship.”
He urged people to continue fighting the army, saying “we are going to risk our lives to defeat them”.
“We are showing international communities, including the UN and other agencies, that we, citizens of Myanmar, want democracy and value democracy as the most precious thing in our lives,” he said.
This follows the death of a Yangon NLD party chairman, Khin Maung Latt, who died while in custody on Saturday.
“On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell,” said the AAPP in a press release. Reports of bruises on Khin Maung Latt’s head and body raised suspicions that he had been abused, NLD lawmaker Ba Myo Thein told Reuters.
CNN cannot independently verify this report and the details surrounding the deaths of Zaw Myat Lynn and Khin Maung Latt are not immediately clear.
Human rights groups have asked the military junta, led by the coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, to investigate the deaths immediately and impartially.
“The Myanmar junta commands the security forces and can quickly find out who killed Khin Maung Latt, if he wants,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “If they want to show that they believe in the rule of law, all those responsible must be held accountable. Unfortunately, Myanmar’s security forces appear to be intent on using nighttime attacks and brutal mistreatment to create fear and break popular resistance. to the military regime. ”
Myanmar has been in crisis since the military took power, arresting state councilor Suu Kyi and forming a new board to govern the country. For more than a month, demonstrators across Myanmar appeared daily by the thousands to resist the military regime.
Security forces responded with increasing violence and brutality. Witnesses reported extrajudicial executions, while images and photographs show police and military personnel shooting dead anti-coup protesters and beating detainees.
At least 54 people were killed in the protests, according to the UN, although activists say the number is higher. AAPP said 1,939 people had been arrested, charged or convicted since the coup.
The media offices of Myanmar Mizzima and Kamayut Media were invaded by security forces on Tuesday afternoon, the publishers of the publications told Myanmar Now.
No Mizzima employee was arrested, but a family member said Kamayut’s co-founder and editor-in-chief was arrested by security forces, Myanmar Now reported.
The founder of Myanmar Now said that his own offices were raided on Monday. Myanmar Now and Mizzima are among the five media outlets that have had their publishing licenses withdrawn.
“They seized computers, printers and parts of the newsroom’s data server,” said Lei Win, adding that no one was in the office at the time, nor had they been since the coup.
“Obviously, it was done in a very public way, witnesses saw security forces breaking into the building where the office was, and there was a show of strength that perhaps was trying to send a message,” she said.
CNN’s Sophie Jeong and Pauline Lockwood contributed reporting.