Narinjara News, July 17, 2025

Approximately 20 Arakanese political prisoners have been rearrested by the prison camp and charged with violating Section 50(j) of the Terrorism Act after being freed from Pathein Prison in the Ayeyarwady Region.

"They were released on July 11. They didn't even go outside immediately. They were taken back into custody and returned to jail at the prison camp. They claimed to have been accused of terrorism. It hurts that they are being prosecuted once more; they have been behind bars for years,” according to a friend of one of them.

The 20 political detainees were among the 351 political prisoners who were moved from Rakhine State's Sittwe Jail to Pathein Prison for security concerns.

"They are being kept in Pathein Prison, and their cases have been reopened under Section 50(j) of the Terrorism Act," he continued.

A prison sentence of ten years to life is possible for the re-opened case under Section 50(j) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The names, ages, and locations of around 20 of the convicts are still being investigated.

According to reports, many of those who were arrested under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Association Act, allegedly in contact with the Arakan Army (AA), were transferred from Sittwe Prison to Pathein Prison for security considerations.

In October 2024, military junta navies moved 351 detainees, including politicians, from Sittwe jail to Pathein prison, according to an announcement made by the All Myanmar Political Prisoners' Network (PPNM) on October 12.

In a similar vein, naval forces have moved some Sittwe Jail inmates, including political prisoners, to Insein Jail in Yangon.

A man who is acquainted with the prison environment informed Narinjara that several young convicts in jails all around Myanmar are being subjected to various forms of repression by the military council and are also being compelled to join the military and used in the front lines.