Myanmar to see first executions in decades; UN ‘deeply troubled’
The last executions to be carried out in Myanmar occurred in 1988. While the death penalty has remained part of the legal system and is occasionally used by judges, Myanmar has de facto abolished it
This combination photo created on 3 June, 2022 shows undated handout photographs released by Myanmar’s Military Information Team on 21 January, 2022 of democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, also known as ‘Jimmy and former lawmaker Maung Kyaw (right), who also goes by the name Phyo Zeya Thaw. AFP
Yangon, Myanmar: Marking the first judicial executions in Myanmar in decades, two people will be executed in the country by the junta”, CNN reported citing the junta on Saturday.
“It’s confirmed that Phyo Zayar Thaw and [Ko] Jimmy would be on the execution list,” junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said as quoted by CNN, without giving a date.
In January 2022, veteran democracy activist Ko Jimmy and former National League of Democracy lawmaker Phyo Zayar Thaw were sentenced to death, according to a statement by Myanmar’s Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services.
The junta accuses the two men of being “involved in terrorist acts such as explosion attacks, killing of civilians as informants,” the junta spokesperson said, CNN reported.
According to the news network, it’s unclear whether Phyo Zayar Thaw and Ko Jimmy have denied the charges levied against them.
This escalation of state violence and intimidation is significant, as the last executions to be carried out in Myanmar occurred in 1988. While the death penalty has remained part of the legal system and is occasionally used by judges, Myanmar has de facto abolished it. Those who have received the sentence for the past 30 years have later seen it commuted to life imprisonment, or been released on amnesties, according to a report by The Conversation.
On Friday, the UN said that it was “deeply troubled” by the decision, calling it a “blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person,” spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said in a briefing, referring to an article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The Secretary-General reiterates his calls for the respect of people’s rights to freedom of opinion and expression and also to drop all charges against those arrested on charges related to the exercise of their fundamental freedoms and rights,” Dujarric added, CNN reported.
According to Amnesty International, news of the resumption of executions is “shocking.” They called on authorities to “immediately” drop the plan and for the international community to step up intervention efforts.
“The death sentence has become one of many appalling ways the Myanmar military is attempting to sow fear among anyone who opposes its rule, and would add to the grave human rights violations, including lethal violence targeted at peaceful protesters and other civilians,” Amnesty International tweeted.
With input from ANI
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