Insein Prison, Prison in Yangon Region, Myanmar
Insein Prison is a prison in the Yangon Region of Myanmar. It follows a circular layout with a central guardhouse at its core, which allows observation of all wings from a single point, and it is the largest detention facility in the country.
The prison opened in 1877 under British colonial rule, built to ease overcrowding at the then main jail in Rangoon. Over the following decades, it became one of the most known sites for holding political dissidents in Myanmar.
The prison is widely known in Myanmar as a place where political prisoners are held. Many families gather regularly outside its gates to send food and money to their relatives inside.
The prison is not open to the public and cannot be visited. Those passing through the area should be aware that it sits within a residential neighborhood and is not visible from the street.
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was held here on more than one occasion. A prisoner named Maung Pho secretly made drawings of life inside on scraps of paper from food parcels, smuggling them out before his release.
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