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February 28, 2025 – Myanmar –
Photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaike, who works for the independent outlet Myanmar Now, is reportedly being tortured in Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison after alerting a human rights delegation to abuses inside the facility. According to Myanmar Now, the torture began earlier this year, shortly after Sai Zaw Thaike informed the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission about the mistreatment of inmates by prison guards during an official inspection visit.
Myanmar Now reports that since then, he has faced daily beatings and psychological abuse, including being forced to kneel for hours, verbal threats, and sleep deprivation. The organization says this mistreatment is in retaliation for his attempt to expose conditions inside the prison and to exercise his right to free expression even while incarcerated.
Sai Zaw Thaike was arrested in May 2023 while covering the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine State. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison under charges related to incitement and spreading false information — accusations widely seen as part of the military regime’s crackdown on independent journalism following the February 2021 coup.
His case has drawn international condemnation from press freedom and human rights groups. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Amnesty International have called for his immediate release and for Myanmar to halt its campaign of persecution against the press. CPJ noted that Myanmar is among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, with more than 220 reporters detained since the military seized power.
Myanmar Now’s editor-in-chief said the journalist’s situation highlights the extreme dangers faced by reporters in the country. “Sai Zaw Thaike risked everything to tell the truth — and he continues to pay the price for it every day,” he said.
The incident reflects broader concerns about the state of press freedom in Myanmar. Since the coup, media outlets have been shut down, journalists imprisoned, and internet access restricted. The case of Sai Zaw Thaike underscores the urgent need for international pressure to protect journalists and restore basic rights in Myanmar.
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