Among those executed was former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw, who belongs to the party of the country’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Tanja Paananen,
Jenni Mehtonen
Myanmar’s junta has executed four democracy activists accused of aiding and abetting “acts of terrorism”. It is the country’s first use of the death penalty in decades.
Among the executed men was a democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu and a former MP and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thawwhich belongs to the country’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the party. The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on the matter.
The paper said the executions were carried out “in accordance with prison procedure”, without saying when or how the four men were killed. In Myanmar, executions have previously been carried out by hanging.
The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of a crackdown on dissent since it seized power last year. However, no one has been executed in Myanmar for decades.
Phyo Zeya Thaw was arrested in November and sentenced to death in January for crimes under anti-terrorism laws.
Renowned pro-democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmyreceived the same sentence from a military court.
The junta was strongly criticized by international bodies when it announced last month that it intended to carry out the executions.
The Myanmar government has rejected criticism of the execution of the sentences, arguing that the country’s justice system is fair and that the death row inmates were guilty of planning terrorist acts against civilians, sowing fear and undermining peace and stability.
The executions are widely condemned around the world
Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres condemned the junta’s decision, calling it a “flagrant violation of the right to life, liberty and personal security”.
UN Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews condemns the executions carried out by the Myanmar military regime. Andrews says he is shocked by the news.
– My thoughts are on the side of the relatives of the executed and on the side of the victims of Myanmar’s military junta. These evil deeds must be a wake-up call to other countries, informed Andrews.
Also the Asian representative of the human rights organization Human Right Watch Elaine Pearson demands that the EU, the US and other countries should hold the military junta accountable for its actions. Pearson emphasizes that the executions are political and unjust.
The director of the Myanmar think tank Tampadipa Institute has also commented on the executions Khin Zaw Win.
– Executions were not carried out for thirty years and we thought that the death penalty had been permanently left in history. This turns back the clocks. Myanmar is sliding towards the dark ages.