Southeast Asian Lawmakers Call for Immediate Release of Student Leader Ko Htet Myat Aung and All Political Prisoners in Myanmar

JAKARTA, 19 December 2025—ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of student leader Ko Htet Myat Aung and all political prisoners arbitrarily arrested by the junta military.

Ko Htet Myat Aung, a 24-year-old former President of the Yadanabon University Students’ Union and a prominent pro-democracy activist, was violently arrested on 17 December 2025 in Mandalay. He is a member of the Anti-Dictatorship People’s Forces Coordination Committee (Mandalay) and the General Strike Coordination Body. Reports indicate that he was severely beaten during his arrest, raising grave and immediate concerns for his safety and risk of torture while in detention.

“The arrest and abuse of Ko Htet Myat Aung reflects the Myanmar military’s systematic use of torture and arbitrary detention to silence peaceful dissent, dismantle democratic leadership, and entrench its grip on power through fear and repression.,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, Chairperson of APHR, Member of Parliament, Indonesia.

Ko Htet Myat Aung was in good health prior to his arrest and had no underlying medical conditions. Any claim by the military authorities of “natural causes” or “health failure” while he remains in custody must be treated as a direct result of custodial abuse. The Myanmar military bears full responsibility for his life, physical safety, and psychological well-being.

“Any harm that comes to Ko Htet Myat Aung in detention will lie squarely with the military authorities who continue to torture with impunity. His case is emblematic of the thousands of political prisoners across Myanmar who must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Charles Santiago, APHR Co-Chairperson, Former Member of Parliament, Malaysia.

APHR strongly condemns the Myanmar military’s ongoing campaign of arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture targeting students, youth leaders, and pro-democracy activists across the country. These acts constitute serious violations of international human rights law and underscore the junta’s complete disregard for human dignity and the rule of law.

In this context, APHR reiterates its call for ASEAN governments and the international community to reject the Myanmar military’s planned sham elections. Elections conducted amid widespread repression, mass detention, displacement, and ongoing violence cannot confer legitimacy and must not be recognized.

“There can be no credible elections while political prisoners fill the regime’s prisons and torture remains a tool of governance,” said Arlene Brosas, APHR Board Member, Former Member of Parliament, Philippines.

Immediate access must be granted to Ko Htet Myat Aung by his family, legal counsel, and independent medical professionals.

APHR urgently calls on:

• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, to publicly address this case and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Ko Htet Myat Aung;
• Fellow ASEAN parliamentarians to urge the foreign ministries to demand that the Myanmar military immediately cease all acts of torture and mistreatment against Ko Htet Myat Aung, and to insist on immediate access to him by independent medical professionals;
• ASEAN governments and all international partners to exert sustained diplomatic and political pressure on the Myanmar military to guarantee his safety, prevent torture, and secure his immediate and unconditional release, alongside all political prisoners.

Continued silence or symbolic engagement will only embolden further abuses; decisive action is urgently required to protect lives and uphold fundamental human rights in Myanmar.