AMN / AIR
The United Nations and ASEAN have condemned execution of political activists in Myanmar. The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has strongly condemned the execution of four political activists Phyo Zeya Thaw, Kyaw Min Yu (Ko Jimmy), Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw by the Myanmar military this weekend. In a statement released by the UN, the Secretary General offered his condolences to the families of the executed political activists. The statement said that the executions which are the first to be conducted since 1988 in Myanmar, mark a further deterioration of the already dire human rights environment in Myanmar.
The Secretary General reiterated his call for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained prisoners including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The ASEAN Chairman Prime Minister of Cambodia also issued a statement saying that ASEAN is extremely troubled and deeply saddened by the execution of four opposition activists despite personal appeal by him as Chairman of the grouping as well as appeals by other ASEAN members for sentences to be reconsidered. He further said that implementation of the death sentence just a week before the 55th ASEAN Ministerial meeting is highly reprehensible. The ASEAN Chairman said that it is a setback to the implementation of the Five-point consensus reached earlier to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.
On 25 July, Myanmar state media reported that the military had executed four people. It included former National League for Democracy (NLD) lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw, and democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu, popularly known as Ko Jimmy who were executed under counter-terrorism law. Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw were the other two men executed on murder charges.