Myanmar opposition fronts condemned a plan by the coup regime to execute four men, including two pro-democracy leaders, as “unlawful” on Tuesday, vowing to hold those involved in the decision accountable.
In separate statements, the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC)—a body formed to bring together forces opposed to the junta that seized power in February last year—and the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a group comprised of elected lawmakers, denounced the recent announcement.
The military council confirmed last week in a press conference that it would proceed with the execution of two prominent leaders accused of treason and terrorism.
Junta spokesperson Gen Zaw Min Tun said that appeals against the death sentences imposed on Ko Jimmy, a veteran of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, and Phyo Zayar Thaw, a hip-hop artist and National League for Democracy (NLD) MP, had been rejected.
The two longtime activists, who were sentenced to death in January for allegedly plotting to carry out attacks on regime targets, have been in military custody since their capture late last year. Two other men also set to face execution are Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw for allegedly murdering military informants, Zaw Min Tun told reporters at the press conference.
“The terrorist coup council’s approval for the execution of Ko Jimmy, who is also known as Kyaw Min Yu, [and] Phyo Zayar Thaw, Hla Myo and Aung Thura Zaw is unlawful from a legal perspective,” the NUCC said in its statement.
The bloc explained that the action violated both local and international laws and judicial norms, and that they would continue to cooperate with resistance forces to repeal the death sentences in the Myanmar judiciary.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a total of 114 political prisoners, including two minors, have been sentenced to death by the regime since the February 2021 coup.
In its own statement, the CRPH described the death sentences and approval for the executions as “inhuman acts,” and an attempt by the junta to instill fear in the public who continue to resist military rule. The junta courts must be “held accountable” for all criminal convictions of anti-coup activists, CRPH added.
While the junta stepped up its use of the death penalty last year as part of its effort to crack down on widespread nationwide anti-coup protests, the recent announcement of the execution order was largely unexpected; it has been decades since a prisoner has formally been put to death in Myanmar, even after a death sentence has been doled out.
The last judicially mandated execution in the country was of student leader Salai Tin Maung Oo in 1976 under the rule of Ne Win, who headed an earlier military dictatorship.
Several foreign entities including France and the US, as well as a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, have also issued statements condemning the junta’s announcement of the execution order.
Myanmar junta’s plan to execute political leaders greeted with outrage and warnings
Myanmar junta’s plan to execute political leaders greeted with outrage and warnings
Executing veteran activist Ko Jimmy and NLD MP Phyo Zayar Thaw will only add fuel to the fire already engulfing the country, say regime opponents
Responding to the international criticism, the junta’s foreign affairs ministry on Monday dismissed the remarks as “irresponsible and reckless,” and defended the legitimacy of the military council as “unquestionable.”
Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zayar Thaw were both found guilty by junta-controlled courts of violating Section 49a, 50i and 50j of Myanmar’s Counterterrorism Law. The military has claimed that they were in possession of weapons at the time of their arrest and had instructed others to carry out acts of terrorism.
Ko Jimmy was arrested during a raid in Yangon in late October and Phyo Zayar Thaw was captured in November. The junta has not disclosed information on where they are detained.
According to legal sources who are familiar with the situation inside Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison, the pair were moved there around one month ago, but Myanmar Now is unable to independently verify the information regarding their whereabouts.