Myanmar’s military has decided to reinstate the right for prisoners to receive family visitors from outside, a privilege that had been revoked for the past 3½ years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as confirmed by the military’s information office and prison authorities on Tuesday.
The revised regulation allowing visits is subject to specific requirements, marking a significant opportunity for numerous political detainees, including those apprehended for opposing the military’s power seizure in 2021, to reunite with their families.
Under the new guidelines, visitors must provide evidence of complete COVID-19 vaccination and establish a familial relationship with the inmate. Additionally, visitors must obtain supplementary documentation from local administrative offices and police stations.
Tun Kyi, a senior member of the Former Political Prisoners Society, emphasized that any relaxation in prison policies should be viewed as an attempt by the military government to gain political leverage and reduce international pressure. Numerous Western nations have imposed economic and diplomatic sanctions on the ruling generals due to their authoritative rule and human rights violations.
Although the pandemic initially led to the suspension of family visitations in 2020, various sectors in Myanmar have gradually eased COVID-19 control measures since 2022. However, the prohibition on prisoner visitations had endured until the recent decision.
The continued restriction on visitations, in Myanmar and elsewhere, was widely interpreted as a tactic to demoralize political prisoners and underscore the consequences of challenging military authority. What began as nonviolent protests against the military takeover eventually evolved into an armed resistance movement after facing brutal suppression.
The total number of prisoners in Myanmar, not exclusively political detainees, remains undisclosed. With approximately 66 prisons and 48 labor camps across the country, officials from several prison departments confirmed that visitations have already commenced, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the absence of authorization to disclose information.
According to the military’s information office, in-person meetings with inmates have been greenlit, provided visitors have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and are officially listed as members of the same household as the prisoners. Detailed visitation protocols are displayed on signboards outside the prisons, as mentioned in the statement sent to journalists.
