UN ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Burmese Military’s Decision to Execute Democracy Activists

Soldiers stand next to military vehicles as people gather to protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Burma, on Feb. 15, 2021. Stringer/Reuters

The Burmese military stated on June 3 that it would proceed with the execution of two pro-democracy activists convicted of treason and terrorism, drawing outcry from human rights groups.

Veteran democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu and Phyo Zeyar Thaw, a former lawmaker from the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party led by deposed Aung San Suu Kyi, were sentenced to death by a military tribunal in January.

The military junta ousted the elected NLD Party in February 2021, sparking widespread anti-coup protests in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

A spokesperson for the military junta said Kyaw and Phyo had filed appeals against their death sentences, but they were dismissed. The military made no mention of execution dates, Reuters reported.

It’s also unclear whether the two activists denied the charges brought against them and how they pleaded.

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on June 3 that the military’s decision to execute the two activists constituted “a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty, and security of person.”

“We are deeply troubled by the Myanmar military’s decision to proceed with the execution of two pro-democracy activists after they received death sentences,” Dujarric said.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged the military to “drop all charges against those arrested on charges related to the exercise of their fundamental freedoms and rights and for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar.”

“The secretary-general considers that the death penalty cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life. Abolition is necessary and desirable for the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights,” Dujarric said.

The military junta’s move to execute two prominent political leaders “will be like pouring gasoline on the fire of popular anti-military resistance in the country.” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“If Myanmar goes ahead with executing two high profile political activists, it will also lead to global condemnation and cement the junta’s reputation as among the worst of the worst human rights abusers in Asia,” he wrote on Twitter.

According to the U.N., at least 1,600 people have been killed and more than 12,500 people have been detained since the military seized power.

The military released more than 1,600 prisoners on April 17, including 42 detained foreigners, in an amnesty to commemorate the country’s Buddhist New Year. But political prisoners weren’t among those released.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a nonprofit human rights organization based in Thailand, the 1,619 released prisoners only represent a fraction of the junta’s total detention of 10,238 people, including Suu Kyi.

Of the total, AAPP stated that 59 detainees, including two children, have been sentenced to death. About 1,976 people are evading arrest warrants, while 120 others were sentenced in absentia, with 41 of them being sentenced to death.

“The exact identities and total figure remains to be verified, but we will continue to confirm the recently released,” the rights group stated.