Myanmar's military junta executed two leading democracy activists and two men accused of terrorism, a first of such acts, which have immediately drawn condemnation by the United Nations and rights groups.
The executed individuals included veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, who is better known as Ko Jimmy, former National League for Democracy lawmaker Phyo Zayar Thaw, Hla Myo Aung, and Aung Thura Zaw. The incident marks the first judicial executions in Myanmar in decades.
Military Junta's Executions
Human rights groups also fear that more will follow the four victims as the Human Rights Watch said that 114 people have been sentenced to death in the country since the military junta took power in a coup in February 2021.
The military junta accused Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zayar Thaw of being "involved in terrorist acts such as explosion attacks, killing of civilians as informants," said spokesperson Zaw Min Tun. The two individuals were sentenced to death in January 2022, and last month, the spokesperson confirmed that appeals were denied, as per CNN.
Since the military junta took power last year, civilian cases have been tried in military courts with proceedings closed to the public. They followed the ousting of the elected government and reversing of almost a decade of tentative democratic reforms.
However, rights groups said that these secretive military tribunals deny the chance to a fair trial and are designed for speedy, and almost certain, convictions, regardless of evidence. In a statement on Monday, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said that he was "outraged and devastated" by the executions.
According to Reuters, Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration outlawed by the military junta, condemned the executions and called for international action against the ruling forces. The spokesman of the NUG president's office said that they were "extremely saddened" by the cruelty of the junta, arguing that they must be punished.
Democracy Activists
The regional director of rights group Amnesty International, Erwin Van Der Borght, said that the recent executions amount to arbitrary deprivation of lives and are another example of Myanmar's atrocious human rights record.
He added that the international community must act now as there are more than 100 people on death row after being convicted in similar proceedings as the executed individuals. The wife of Thaw, Thazin Nyunt Aung, said that she had not been told of her husband's execution. Other relatives could not immediately be reached for comment regarding the incident.
The individuals were held in the colonial-era Insein prison and a person with knowledge of the events said that their families visited it last Friday. They added that only one relative was allowed to speak to the detainees via the Zoom online platform.
The military junta has arrested a total of 14,847 people since the coup and 11,759 remain in detention, based on data from the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) Burma, which monitors arrests and killings. They added that two children were among the prisoners who were sentenced to death, The Guardian reported.
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