<p>A prisoner was killed and more than 60 wounded after a riot broke out at a Myanmar prison west of Yangon, the junta said on Saturday.</p>.<p>Myanmar has been in chaos since Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government was toppled in a military coup in February 2021, ending the southeast Asian nation's brief period of democracy.</p>.<p>The riot at the prison in Pathein started after guards confiscated a mobile phone from an inmate on Thursday night and took disciplinary action, the junta said in a statement.</p>.<p>About 70 prisoners escaped from their cells and damaged property on Friday morning.</p>.<p>Prisoners used sticks, bricks and pieces of cement to attack security forces, the junta said.</p>.<p>Authorities tried to bring the situation under control but negotiations failed and they resorted to force.</p>.<p>"The authorities fired guns to break up the crowd and bring the riot under control," the statement said.</p>.<p>The junta said one prisoner was killed "amid fighting" and 63 inmates were wounded along with two police and nine guards.</p>.<p>Local media described the dead inmate as a political prisoner and <em>BBC Burmese</em> said he was on terrorism charges.</p>.<p>The junta flagged the launch of an investigation into the incident.</p>.<p>Last week, the junta announced it would free more than 7,000 prisoners to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence from Britain.</p>.<p>More than 2,700 people have been killed since the military seized power and more than 13,000 people are detained as part of a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.</p>.<p>In July last year the regime executed four prisoners including former lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu -- better known as "Jimmy".</p>.<p>It was the first use of the death penalty by the Myanmar state in around 30 years and sparked worldwide condemnation.</p>.<p>Human Rights Watch says Myanmar prisons are notorious for harsh conditions and their alleged use of torture.</p>
<p>A prisoner was killed and more than 60 wounded after a riot broke out at a Myanmar prison west of Yangon, the junta said on Saturday.</p>.<p>Myanmar has been in chaos since Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government was toppled in a military coup in February 2021, ending the southeast Asian nation's brief period of democracy.</p>.<p>The riot at the prison in Pathein started after guards confiscated a mobile phone from an inmate on Thursday night and took disciplinary action, the junta said in a statement.</p>.<p>About 70 prisoners escaped from their cells and damaged property on Friday morning.</p>.<p>Prisoners used sticks, bricks and pieces of cement to attack security forces, the junta said.</p>.<p>Authorities tried to bring the situation under control but negotiations failed and they resorted to force.</p>.<p>"The authorities fired guns to break up the crowd and bring the riot under control," the statement said.</p>.<p>The junta said one prisoner was killed "amid fighting" and 63 inmates were wounded along with two police and nine guards.</p>.<p>Local media described the dead inmate as a political prisoner and <em>BBC Burmese</em> said he was on terrorism charges.</p>.<p>The junta flagged the launch of an investigation into the incident.</p>.<p>Last week, the junta announced it would free more than 7,000 prisoners to mark the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence from Britain.</p>.<p>More than 2,700 people have been killed since the military seized power and more than 13,000 people are detained as part of a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.</p>.<p>In July last year the regime executed four prisoners including former lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu -- better known as "Jimmy".</p>.<p>It was the first use of the death penalty by the Myanmar state in around 30 years and sparked worldwide condemnation.</p>.<p>Human Rights Watch says Myanmar prisons are notorious for harsh conditions and their alleged use of torture.</p>