Myanmar’s military leaders have executed pro-democracy activists for the first time in decades. Four activists have been killed, state media reported. One of the victims is Phyo Zeya Thaw. He was a member of parliament for NLD, the party of deposed government leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
In addition to his work for parliament, Phyo Zeya Thaw was also a hip-hop artist. The military leaders accused him of attacking members of the regime. For example, in August he allegedly attacked a train in Rangoon with a firearm. Five police officers were killed.
He was convicted in November under the country’s new counter-terrorism laws. Kyaw Min Yu, a prominent pro-democracy activist, was handed the same sentence.
The other two executed activists had been convicted of murdering a woman. The activists thought she was an army informant.
It is not known exactly how the death sentences were carried out. Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, said in a statement that he was outraged and devastated by the news. He calls the killed activists “patriots and champions of human rights and democracy”.
Dozens of activists face death penalty
Myanmar had not carried out a death penalty for decades. But the military junta that seized power last year has since sentenced dozens of activists to death.
Last month, the junta announced it would carry out the death sentences, sparking international outrage. UN chief António Guterres called the decision a “clear violation of the right to life, liberty and security”.
The military seized power after repeatedly accusing Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party of electoral fraud without evidence. The junta has killed 2,114 activists and civilians since the coup, according to the Myanmar human rights organization AAPP. The military administrators are also said to have arrested 14,847 people, of whom 11,759 are still in custody.