Social activists and nongovernmental organizations have called upon the Myanmar Government to adopt immediate additional measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in the country’s prisons, including the release of all prisoners with underlying medical conditions as well as those detained for non-violent offences.
The call to action, which contains a set of key recommendations and priority interventions, is the result of a collective process initiated by civil society organisations with technical guidance and inputs from UNAIDS, WHO and other organisations.
A joint United Nations letter, signed by UNAIDS, UNODC, UNDP and UNICEF, was also sent to the President of Myanmar on 9th April requesting the Government to take the necessary measures to release detainees from the country’s detention facilities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the health and safety of those held in such facilities.
