Overview: "There has been a significant deterioration in the health and well-being of 53 students and supporters who have been detained without bail for nine months at Thayawaddy prison. Their criminal trial has now dragged on for nine months. I f convicted, they could face up to ten years in prison. Because the arrest was in violation of their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, which are meant to be protected under the 2008 Constitution (Article 354) and various provisions of international law, the detainees are recognized as political prisoners by human rights groups around the world. Many of the detainees are suffering from serious untreated medical conditions due to the brutal beatings inflicted by police during their arrest , the unsanitary conditions of their detainment , and the lack of medical treatment . Their urgent efforts to access treatment have been repeatedly denied by the presiding judge and prison authorities. Multiple pet it ions to the Government of Myanmar for redress have also been ignored. As a result , several detainees have developed life- threatening illnesses, including tuberculosis, severe hyper tension, and gastrointestinal diseases. Under international and domestic law, the Government is responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of all prisoners. Instead of fulfilling this legal duty, authorities have consistently denied the rights of Thayawaddy detainees? first by depriving them of liberty without lawful cause, second by conducting an unfair trial with lengthy delays and a lack of due process, and third by placing their health and lives at risk by refusing to provide adequate medical care. This briefing paper focuses on the third issue? the failure to provide medical treatment . This is a clear violation of law and obligates the Government to take immediate steps to care for the well-being of the political prisoners. The briefing paper has four sect ions: 1. Factual background of the Leptadan crackdown and trial process; 2. Applicable legal framework; 3. Key findings from a medical survey given to the detainees in November ; 4. Summary of a report by an independent team of doctors who examined the detainees during prison visits in August and November. The paper concludes with a call to the Government to fulfill its responsibilities by providing detainees with immediate access to proper medical treatment, and more broadly, to drop all pending criminal charges and grant them unconditional release."