Insein Prison (Burmese: အင်းစိန်ထောင်) is located in Yangon Division, near Yangon (Rangoon), the old capital of Myanmar. It is run by the military junta of Myanmar, the State Peace and Development Council, and used largely to repress political dissidents.
The prison is notorious worldwide for its inhumane and dirty conditions, abusive techniques, and uses of mental and physical torture.[1][2]
One of its most famous prisoners is the Nobel Peace prize winning human rights activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been confined to Insein on three separate occasions in 2003, 2007 and 2009.[3] Other known prisoners include 21 year-old Burmese video-journalist named Sithu Zeya who after being arrested in April 2010, is currently serving an 8-year sentence for photographing the aftermath of an attack on civilians by the military junta.[4][5] Another imprisoned video-journalist is 29 year-old Ngwe Soe Lin who was arrested in an internet cafe in Rangoon on April 14, 2010 for his video coverage of Burmese children orphaned by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.[6][7][8] Democracy activist Aye Yung was held for trial at Insein Prison for distribution of leaflets at Dagon University.