Myanmar: Military executes four democracy activists including ex-MPon July 25, 2022 at 7:18 am

Four democracy activists have been executed by Myanmar’s military in what is believed to be the first use of capital punishment in decades.

Former lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw, writer and activist Ko Jimmy, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zawor were accused of committing “terror acts”.

The executions, which were first announced by the military in June, drew international condemnation.

They come in the wake of a 2021 military coup.

The junta overthrew the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in February last year, sparking huge protests which were swiftly crushed.

The National Unity Government of Myanmar – a coalition comprising pro-democracy figures, representatives of armed ethnic groups and members of the NLD – condemned the killings, saying they were “extremely shocked and saddened”.

It went on to urge the international community to “punish (the) murderous military junta for their cruelty and killings”.

The state news outlet – Global News Light of Myanmar – said the four men were executed as they “gave directives, made arrangements and committed conspiracies for brutal and inhumane terror acts”.

It said they had been charged under the Counter Terrorism Law, but did not say when or how they were executed.

Ko Jimmy, 53, was a veteran of the 88 Generation Students Group – a Burmese pro-democracy movement known for their activism against the country’s military junta in the 1988 student uprisings. He served multiple stints in prison for his involvement in the pro-democracy movement, before being released in 2012.

He was arrested in October last year after being accused of hiding weapons and ammunition at an apartment in Yangon and being an “advisor” to the National Unity Government.

Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a former NLD lawmaker and a close ally of Suu Kyi.

A hip-hop artist, he often drew the ire of the junta for his anti-military lyrics. He was arrested in November for alleged anti-terror offences.

The two others – Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw – were sentenced to death for killing a woman was an alleged informer for the junta.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called the military’s decision to sentence the four activists to death “a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person”.

Military authorities have intensified their crackdown on local militias, opposition activists and those deemed to be harbouring anti-coup sentiments since they seized power last year.

They claimed the results of a general election that saw Suu Kyi’s political party winning by a landslide were rigged.

Since then, Suu Kyi has been detained under house arrest, and slapped with a litany of charges ranging from corruption to violating the country’s official secrets act, which could see her serving a sentence of up to 150 years.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which keeps a toll of those killed, jailed or detained by the military, says that 14,847 people have been arrested since the coup, with an estimated 2114 having been killed by military forces.