Four democracy activists have been executed by Myanmar's military in what is believed to be the first use of capital punishment in decades.
Myanmar's military authorities have executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out "terror acts", state media reported on Monday, marking the first executions conducted in decades in the Southeast Asian country.
The executed men included democracy-figure Kyaw Min Yu and former lawmaker and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
The newspaper said the four had been charged under the counter-terrorism law and the penal code and the punishment has been conducted under the prison's procedures.
The four - including activist Ko Jimmy and lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw - were accused of committing "terror acts".
They were sentenced to death in a closed-door trial that rights groups criticised as being unjust.
Family members of the deceased gathered at Insein prison on Monday desperate for information on their loved ones.
The mother of Zayar Thaw says she was not told when exactly her son would be executed, adding that she was unable to make proper traditional funeral plans as a result.
"When we met on Zoom last Friday, my son was healthy and smiling. He asked me to send his reading glasses, dictionary and some money to use in prison, so I brought those things to the prison today," Khin Win May told the BBC's Burmese Service. "That's why I didn't think they would kill him. I didn't believe it."
Meanwhile, the sister of Ko Jimmy - whose real name is Kyaw Min Yu - had earlier said they were yet to receive the bodies.
The families have all submitted applications for information on the executions.
State news outlet Global News Light of Myanmar said the four men were executed because they "gave directives, made arrangements and committed conspiracies for brutal and inhumane terror acts".
It said they had been charged under the counter terrorism laws, but did not say when or how they were executed.
The executions are the first since 1988, according to the United Nations. Previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
In 2021, the country's military seized power, an event which triggered widespread demonstrations, prompting a military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, activists and journalists.
'Shocked and saddened'
News of the killing was met with intense criticism from opposition groups and human rights organizations.
"I am outraged and devastated at the news of the junta's execution of Myanmar patriots and champions of human rights and democracy," said UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews. "These depraved acts must be a turning point for the international community."
The shadow National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) said they were "extremely shocked and saddened" by the killings.
The NUG - a group which comprises pro-democracy figures, representatives of armed ethnic groups and former lawmakers that was formed in response to the 2021 military coup - urged the international community to "punish (the) murderous military junta for their cruelty and killings".
Who were the accused?
Ko Jimmy, 53, was a veteran of the 88 Generation Students Group - a Burmese pro-democracy movement known for their activism against the country's military junta in the 1988 student uprisings.
He, alongside his wife, fellow activist Nilar Thein, were considered some of the pioneers of the pro-democracy movement.
When monks led protests against the regime in 2007, Ko Jimmy and his wife mobilised activists and protesters from the 1988 demonstrations to participate.
He served multiple stints in prison for his activism, before being released in 2012.
He was arrested in October last year after being accused of hiding weapons and ammunition at an apartment in Yangon and being an "advisor" to the National Unity Government.
Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a former hip-hop star turned NLD lawmaker.
His band Acid released Myanmar's first ever hip-hop album, with his lyrics carrying thinly-veiled attacks on the military drawing the ire of the junta.
He gradually became a close ally of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and often accompanied her on her international meetings with world leaders.
He was arrested in November for alleged anti-terror offences.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the executions on Monday, calling them “a blatant violation to the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
Tom Andrews, the UN’s special rapporteur on Myanmar, said he was “outraged and devastated by the news”.
“These depraved acts must be a turning point … what more must the junta do before the international community is willing to take strong action?”
Amnesty International accused the military of an “atrocious escalation in state repression” and warned that about 100 others were currently on death row after being convicted in military courts.
In a statement, the foreign ministry of Japan, which had for decades maintained close ties with Myanmar that have frayed in recent months, said it “seriously deplores” the executions and warned the act will further isolate the military-led government, which has already faced a raft of sanctions from Western powers since taking control in a February 2021 coup and arresting State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Even China, which has reportedly sought to protect its longtime ally at the United Nations, called on officials to properly resolve conflicts within the country’s constitutional framework, with foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also reiterating Beijing’s longheld principle of non-interference.
