Sketches smuggled out of Myanmar's prison tell horrible tale of country's most notorious jail - see pics

Built by the Britishers in 1871, Insein is Myanmar’s largest prison and home for many people who opposed junta. Myanmar’s junta took control from the Nobel prize winner and leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

During an interview with Reuters, the former prisoners told the conditions they used to see daily, from prisoners paying to have a sleeping space on the floor, bribes are common, rats all over, so many people in one room causing discomfort.
 

In this drawing, men are crowded in one room sitting with their knees together as every inch of space is taken. These rough sketches describe the daily life of these people, from queuing for water to resting on the floor in heat. 

A 24-year-old man named Nyi nyi Htwe, the one who sneaked these drawings out of the prison after spending months on the charges of defamation and the charges he totally denies of joining the protest against the Myanmar junta was released the previous year in October told they are no longer humans behind bars told Reuters during his interview. Htwe has now joined an armed rebel group.

The sketch artist who drew these drawings didn’t want to be interviewed as he feared arrest told Htwe. These sketches depict the increase in the number of prisoners after the junta took over, Htwe told Reuters. 

Htwe met the artist in prison and said that he sketched prisoners and scenes whatever he is seeing made him feel relaxed and gave the sketches as a birthday gift to Nyi Nyi Htwe. 

Since the took over by junta nearly 10,072 people have detained in the country, including Suu Kyi and manu of her cabinet members and 1730 people have been killed. Many of these detained people have been sent to Insein. 

As per the people who were released recently said, with overcrowding, many problems came in hand with it like water shortages, fighting between prisoners, lack of space, increase in giving bribe.

In an interview with Reuters, Sandar Win a social worker jailed for protesting against the junta said that there were rats all around, toilets filthy, no money to bribe would sleep next to the toilet, rash beating, fighting among prisoners, long waiting lines and very little medical support. 

According to AAPP, despite a covid vaccination drive being done at Insein still, people were infected and suspected 10 people have died from the disease.

Htwe told at least two-thirds of the people in the room, and put all sick people in one room and is lucky to not die.