Canada and its allies have condemned the execution of four pro-democracy activists in Myanmar, including a former member of parliament, in the Southeast Asian country’s first executions in decades.
In a joint statement Monday, Global Affairs Canada said the killings were “reprehensible acts of violence that further illustrate the regime’s disregard for human rights and the rule of law.”
Canada, along with the high representative on behalf of the European Union and the foreign ministers of seven other nations, called for the release of “all unjustly detained” and expressed support for the “aspirations of the people of Myanmar for freedom and democracy.”
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the bereaved families and loved ones as they mourn the wrongfully killed. We remember and mourn all the lives lost in Myanmar since the coup,” the statement concluded.
Myanmar’s military junta accused the four activists of helping carry out “terrorist acts”.
Sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April, the four men were accused of helping militias fight the army, which seized power in a coup last year and unleashed a bloody crackdown on its opponents.
Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration banned by the ruling junta, condemned the executions and called for international action against the junta.
“Extremely saddened… I condemn the brutality of the junta,” Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for the NUG president’s office, said in a statement to Reuters. “The global community must punish their cruelty.
Among those executed were democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, and former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.
Kyaw Min Yu, 53, and Phyo Zeya Thaw, a 41-year-old ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, lost their appeals against the convictions in June. The other two executed were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
Kyaw Min Yu, a pro-democracy activist, arrives at Yangon airport in 2012, greeted by his wife and daughter after being released from prison. (File Photo/Associated Press)
“These executions amount to the arbitrary deprivation of life and are yet another example of Myanmar’s brutal human rights record,” said Erwin Van Der Borcht, regional director of rights group Amnesty International.
More about those sentenced to death
“The four men were convicted by a military court in highly secretive and deeply unfair trials. The international community must act immediately, as more than 100 people are believed to have been sentenced to death after being convicted in such proceedings.”
Thazin Nyunt Aung, Phyo Zeyar Thaw’s wife, said she was not told about her husband’s execution. Other relatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
“My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones, and indeed to all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta’s escalating atrocities,” the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said in a statement.
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The men have been held at the colonial-era Insein prison, and a person familiar with the matter said their families visited it last Friday. Only one relative was allowed to talk to the detainees via the online platform Zoom, the source added.
Myanmar state media reported the executions on Monday, and junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun later confirmed the executions to the Voice of Myanmar. Neither gave details on the timing.
Previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
One activist group, the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP), said the last judicial executions in Myanmar were in the late 1980s.
The junta defends the death penalty
Last month, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun defended the death penalty, saying it was justified and used in many countries.
“At least 50 innocent civilians, excluding security forces, died because of them,” he told a televised news conference.
“How can you say that this is not justice? he asked. “The necessary actions must be taken at the necessary times.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), urged junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in a letter in June not to carry out the executions, expressing deep concern among Myanmar’s neighbors.
“Even the previous military regime that ruled between 1988 and 2011 did not dare to carry out the death penalty against political prisoners,” said Malaysian MP Charles Santiago, chairman of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights.
Elsewhere, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said the executions contradicted Japan’s repeated calls for a peaceful resolution and release of detainees and would further isolate Myanmar, and the US Embassy in Yangon condemned the executions of “pro-democracy leaders and elected officials”.
In addition, China’s foreign ministry urged all parties in Myanmar to properly resolve conflicts within their constitutional framework.
Myanmar has been in chaos since last year’s coup, with conflict spreading across the country after the army quelled mostly peaceful protests in cities.
“For more than a year now, Myanmar’s military authorities have engaged in extrajudicial killings, torture and a whole range of human rights violations,” Van Der Borcht added.
“The military will only continue to trample people’s lives if they are not held accountable.
AAPP says more than 2,100 people have been killed by security forces since the coup. The junta says that figure is exaggerated.
The true picture of the violence was difficult to assess as the clashes spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority rebel groups also battled the military.
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