Myanmar

The EU issued a declaration strongly condemning the execution of pro-democracy and opposition leaders in Myanmar/Burma.

The executions are reprehensible acts that show that the military authorities have no respect for the life or dignity of the very people they are supposed to protect. - +32 2 295 45 53 The European Union is fundamentally opposed to the death penalty as an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment that violates the inalienable right to life.

The executions under the military-led government are the first in decades and raise fears of more to come.

“The junta’s barbarity and callous disregard for human life aims to chill the anti-coup protest movement. “The four men were convicted by a military court in highly secretive and deeply unfair trials.” UN Member States must honor their lives by making this depraved act a turning point for the world's response to this crisis. The military-led government later confirmed the situation “is as stated in the state media”. Myanmar last known execution was in the late 1980s. Human rights groups have expressed fear for other pro-democracy protesters and campaigners, who have been arrested in mass protests amid widespread crackdowns by security forces that the AAPP says have left more than 2,100 people dead.

(Bangkok, Paris) FIDH and ALTSEAN-Burma deplore the junta's execution of four men, which marks the resumption of the use of the death penalty in (...)

It’s time for ASEAN to use more stick and less carrot to end the junta’s murderous rule.” We condemn these executions, along with the extrajudicial killing of more than 2,000 civilians since February 2021.” FIDH, a founding member of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), reiterates its strong opposition to the death penalty for all crimes and in all circumstances.

The independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar called for a strong international response on Monday following the executions of four pro-democracy ...

The independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar called for a strong international response on Monday following the executions of four pro-democracy activists by the country’s military junta. Also executed was democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, for violating the counterterrorism law. Phyo Zeya Thaw was arrested last November based on information from people detained for shooting security personnel, state media said at the time. UN Special Rapporteurs such are tasked with specific thematic or country mandates by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, where they report back on their fact-finding or monitoring missions, usually at one of the forum’s three regular sessions a year. For the military to widen its killing will only deepen its entanglement in the crisis it has itself created.” Among those executed was Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party.

Burma or Myanmar: why does this Southeast Asian country have two names? And which name should you use when referring to it? By Thomas Mackay.

Curiously, the name change itself meant very little in the Burmese language. However, the United States and the United Kingdom, among a group of countries, continued to use the name ‘Burma’. When the military government changed the country’s name from ‘Burma’ to ‘Myanmar’ in 1989, much of the international community recognised the name change.

GENEVA (25 July 2022) – UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet today condemned in the strongest terms the execution of four democracy activists by ...

On 3 June, UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed concern at the military’s decision to go ahead with executions and reiterated his calls for the respect of people’s rights to freedom of opinion and expression. Over 11,500 people remain in detention for opposing the military’s seizure of power. For the military to widen its killing will only deepen its entanglement in the crisis it has itself created.”

State department says military government in Yangon has not faced enough economic and diplomatic pressure, amid global outrage at killings.

The UN special rapporteur Thomas Andrews said he was “outraged and devastated” by the executions and called for a strong international response. The execution on Monday of four prisoners including a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and a prominent democracy activist, was Myanmar’s first use of capital punishment in decades, and has heightened concerns that more death sentences will follow. Local media reported that the families of the men had travelled to Insein prison in Yangon demanding to see their loved ones’ bodies. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Beijing “always upholds the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs”. US secretary of state Antony Blinken, who met activists from Myanmar in Bangkok this month, voiced confidence the killings would not hinder the country’s democracy movement. Global condemnation has followed, with attention turning to what can be done to prevent further atrocities.

Myanmar's Southeast Asian neighbours issued a stinging rebuke on Tuesday of the ruling military's execution of four political activists, calling it "highly ...

Its spokesperson was due to hold a regular news briefing later on Tuesday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com News portal Myanmar Now said some inmates had been assaulted by prison authorities and about 15 of them were separated from the general population. Family members on Monday said they were not informed of their loved ones' executions beforehand, nor allowed to retrieve their bodies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

The junta has executed opponents in an attempt to secure its power - but Mr Aung Kyaw Moe, the first Rohingya representative to be appointed to the ...

“We have to push on and encourage each other until we win this revolution. “It has really energised the revolution. “Just because of what they believed in they have been arrested and killed,” he said. He’s a very kind and loving person and I grew up with him. The executions were the country’s first in more than 30 years. Wai Hnin said the executions are a “sign of desperation” by the junta and a “fear tactic” as it has failed to consolidate power since the coup in February last year.

International outrage over Myanmar's execution of four political prisoners intensified Tuesday with strong condemnation from world governments and ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. At the same time, 2,120 civilians have been killed by security forces since the military takeover. Mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas that are more often subject to brutal military attacks. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

Cambodia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), says it is “extremely troubled” over the Myanmar military government's ...

ASEAN and Myanmar, which has been a member of the group since 1997, agreed to a Five Point Consensus to end the violence triggered by the military’s February 2021 coup, in April of the same year. Noting ASEAN ministers will meet next week for their summit, the statement said the timing was “highly reprehensible as it created a setback to and present(s) a gross lack of will to support to efforts … in building trust and confidence to engender a dialogue in order to end violence and alleviate the suffering of innocent people”. Cambodia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), says it is “extremely troubled” over the Myanmar military government’s execution of four democracy activists and politicians, adding that the timing of the act – just before a ministerial summit – was “reprehensible”.

Malaysia on Tuesday condemned Myanmar's junta for carrying out the execution of four pro-democracy activists, describing the action as a crime against ...

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The killings demonstrate the regime's contempt for regional and global opinion. Could they force ASEAN to change its approach to the country's conflict?

The U.S. government has said that there can be no “business as usual” following the executions, and that “all options are on the table,” including economic measures to cut off the military’s main sources of revenues. ASEAN’s consensus-based approach to the country’s crisis has not only failed to make inroads, but has been treated essentially with contempt by the military junta. In the nearly 18 months since the coup, these modular statements of outrage and concern have acquired a sort of ritualistic quality, given that they have yet to lead to any substantial support for the resistance struggle. This contempt for ASEAN’s process has the potential to shock the bloc into a reassessment of its approach. Approved in April 2021, the Five-Point Consensus called for an immediate cessation of violence and the opening of inclusive political talks involving “all parties” to the country’s dispute. The executions were announced by the junta last month, after the men’s appeals were rejected.

Phyo Zeya Thaw, a rapper and former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi's party, and the prominent democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, known as Jimmy, were among those ...

A Yangon-based group of resistance fighters under the national unity government, which was formed in exile by elected politicians, ethnic minority representatives and activists, also vowed to avenge their deaths. In eastern Myanmar, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force vowed to retaliate against the “war crime”. Activist Ella Chris described Kyaw Min Yu, who rose to prominence as a student leader during the 1988 uprising against the previous military regime, as “an idol for the younger pro-democracy generation”. Before the coup, Ella Chris was an avid cyclist posting fitness videos on social media in between her work on gender equality and land rights. “I wasn’t even able to cry when I heard about the execution, I had suffocation in my heart. It was the recent execution of four prisoners that drove people to revive the protest regardless. Yet the brazenness of the executions was shocking, he added.

Killing of four anti-coup activists has been met with widespread international outrage. Myanmar soldiers are seen patrolling a street in Yangon. Myanmar's ...

“In fact, the families of the four men weren’t informed beforehand either … it took everybody by surprise,” he added. Among those executed were democracy campaigner Kyaw Min Yu, better known as “Jimmy”, and former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, an ally of former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the military’s power grab. “This was justice for the people.

Activists fear a 'killing spree' after the military junta carried out the country's first executions in decades.

Myanmar also faces economic and political uncertainty, both on the regional and international stage. Activists say there is growing concern that the junta may go on a ‘killing spree’, executing many more prisoners to thumb its nose at the wider world. Suu Kyi, who officially held the title of state counsellor, and President U Win Myint were detained, and have both since been sentenced to several lengthy prison terms. Kyaw Min Yu, a 53-year-old activist better known as Ko Jimmy, became prominent as a member of the so-called ‘88 generation’, a group of students who, in 1998, rose up in protest against the long-ruling military dictatorship. Defending its execution of the “criminals”, it said the killings weren’t “personal”, just entirely deserved. Using footage shot by anonymous activists in the country, the chilling programme starts in February 2021, when protests erupted after the military coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.

The State Department said China has the most potential to influence Myanmar and should exert more economic and political pressure.

“Clearly it is time for Burma’s neighbors to shoulder a larger burden,” he said in a statement. Myanmar’s military first seized power in 1962 but gradually loosened its grip in 2010, allowing for democratic elections and an influx of international companies. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who chairs ASEAN, had previously urged Myanmar’s military leaders not to enforce the death sentences. We remain committed to the people of Burma and their efforts to restore Burma's path to democracy.— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 25, 2022 We are calling on countries around the world to do more. Two other men, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw, were also executed, state media reported — all were probably killed by hanging.

The US has urged China to increase pressure on Myanmar following the military junta's execution of four democracy activists. A state department spokesperson ...

However former US ambassador to Myanmar Scott Marciel told the BBC that the Asean plan had been "dead on arrival" last year and countries sympathetic to Myanmar's democracy movement should do more. The activists were arrested after an army-led coup last year and accused of committing "terror acts". They were sentenced to death in a closed-door trial that rights groups criticised as being unjust. He called on all countries to ban sales of military equipment to the country and "refrain from lending the regime any degree of international credibility".

Time is running out as Myanmar's crisis has dragged on for too long. The mass killings, burning of civilian homes, arbitrary arrests and torture continue.

The people from the Southeast Asian nation mourn the deaths of the four men who are regarded as martyrs. They deserve to have their right to life and human dignity restored. It is time now to take real action like international sanctions against Myanmar's junta rulers. Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon said as a cardinal he pleaded from the very depths of his heart with the junta not to hang these men. The United Nations was joined by world leaders -- including the United States, Europe and Japan -- besides global rights groups to vigorously condemn the barbaric act of executing political opponents. World leaders have paid much attention to the Ukraine war, while Myanmar has been completely forgotten.

Myanmar's military junta is losing some control over the country, but its execution of four high-profile leaders and prisoners sends a warning to Myanmar ...

Because of their determination, many people in the country feel that the future is uncertain – but not hopeless. And there is no clear end in sight to the conflict. People of Myanmar have interpreted this stance as willful ignorance to their plight. U.N. human rights experts have said the military junta is a “criminal enterprise” that is systematically committing murder, torture and forced disappearances. Now, hundreds of internal groups in Myanmar are fighting over their vested interests, including territory. Some Myanmar citizens, meanwhile, have donated their incomes, houses and cars to help support revolutionary groups. - Myanmar military But the National League for Democracy’s ascension to power brought about many positive changes, particularly in the country’s heartland, where a major ethnic group, Bamar, live. - Myanmar The political executions of these activists were the first in many decades for Myanmar, which has vacillated from military control to emerging democratic leadership over the past few decades. The military responded with conducting mass arrests and killing civilians. I am a scholar of Myanmar politics and culture.

Secretary of State described the executions as “blatant attempts to extinguish democracy.” Phyo Zeya Thaw, one of the men executed, was a former member of…

“These reprehensible acts of violence further exemplify the regime’s complete disregard for human rights and the rule of law,” Blinken said in a statement. Thomas Andrews, an independent U.N.-appointed human rights expert, described the men executed as champions of human rights and decency. He will forever live in our hearts, in the hearts of all the people, as a hero.” Junta officials have said that the men were executed for directing and organizing “violent and inhuman accomplice acts of terrorist killings,” though this allegation is contested. The 2022 executions take place amid a larger campaign of arrests and death sentences since the army overthrew the democratically elected government in February 2021. The U.S. Secretary of State described the executions as “blatant attempts to extinguish democracy.”