Military mouthpieceThe Global New Light of Myanmar published two photographs of Turnell,a former adviser to overthrown civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi,receiving a dose of vaccine at the prison on Wednesday.
Turnell was not named in the newspaper but the pictures appeared alongside an article announcing that the vaccination program had begun at the infamous prison,as 610 of the 9000 inmates received shots on the first day.
“This is the first COVID-19 vaccination of prisoners at the prison,” a prison officer was quoted as saying by the junta-aligned publication.
It claimed there was no outbreak of the virus at the jail but lawyers for prisoners said last week at least 48 inmates there had been infected including a detained American journalist. U Nyan Win,who was a senior figure in Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party and her former lawyer,died of COVID-19 last week after being held for months at Insein before being transferred to hospital.
The prevalence of the virus led inmates to stage a protest last Friday and has prompted Turnell’s wife in Sydney,Ha Vu,to plead again with military leaders in Myanmar to release him and or at least transfer him to house arrest for his health,saying he had been experiencing cold and flu symptoms.
Turnell has been held since February 6,five days after senior generals ousted Suu Kyi’s newly elected government in a coup and embarked on a bloody crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators.