Myanmar's military authorities have executed four democracy activists accused of taking part in “terror acts”, state media said on Monday.
The four men were accused of helping militias to fight the army, which seized power in a coup last year and violently suppressed protests against the takeover.
They were sentenced to death in closed-door trials in January and April.
Among those executed were pro-democracy figure Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy, and former politician and hip-hop artist Phyo Zeya Thaw, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
Min Yu, 53, and Zeya Thaw, a 41, an ally of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, lost their appeals against the sentences in June. The two others executed were Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.
Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow administration outlawed by the junta, condemned the reported executions.
“Extremely saddened … condemn the junta's cruelty with strongest terms, if it's the case,” Kyaw Zaw, the spokesman of the NUG president’s office, said.
“The global community must punish their cruelty.”
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said he was “outraged and devastated” at the news of the executions, describing the four men as “patriots and champions of human rights and democracy”.
UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar
“My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta's escalating atrocities,” Mr Andrews said.
“These depraved acts must be a turning point for the international community.”
Thazin Nyunt Aung, the wife of Zeya Thaw, said she had not been told of her husband's execution. Other relatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
The men had been held in the colonial-era Insein prison and a source said their families visited the prison last Friday. Only one relative was allowed to speak to the detainees online via Zoom.
The Global New Light of Myanmar said the men had been charged under the counter-terrorism law and the punishment was carried out according to prison procedure, without elaborating.
Previous executions in Myanmar have been by hanging.
An activist group, the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, said Myanmar's last judicial executions were in the late 1980s.
The military did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
Last month military spokesman Zaw Min Tun defended the death sentence, 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 this is not justice?” he said. “Required actions are needed to be done in the required moments.”
The sentences had drawn international condemnation, with two UN experts calling them a “vile attempt at instilling fear” among the people.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, chairman of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, appealed in a letter in June to junta leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing not to carry out the executions, relaying deep concern among Myanmar's neighbours.
China's foreign ministry said on Monday that all parties in Myanmar should work to properly resolve conflicts within its constitutional framework.
China always upholds the principle of non-interference, said Zhao Lijian, spokesman at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Myanmar counterpart earlier this month that China expects all parties in Myanmar to prioritise the big picture and the interests of the people, adhere to rational consultation and realise political reconciliation and lasting peace and stability at an early date within the framework of the constitution and laws.
The junta has condemned foreign statements about the execution orders as “reckless and interfering”.
Myanmar has been in chaos since last year's coup, with conflict spreading nationwide after the army crushed mostly peaceful protests in cities.
“These horrendous executions were murders. They're a part of the junta's ongoing crimes against humanity and attack on the civilian population,” Matthew Smith, head of South-east Asia's Fortify Rights, told Reuters.
“The junta would be completely wrong to think this would instil fear in the hearts of the revolution.”
The AAPP says more than 2,100 people have been killed by the security forces since the coup, but the junta says the figure is exaggerated.
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Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing presides over a parade during the 77th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. EPA -
Myanmar military officers on parade. AP -
The army will 'annihilate' coup opponents, the junta chief said on Sunday as the military staged a show of force on the anniversary of its bloodiest crackdown so far on democracy protests. AP -
The South-east Asian country has been in chaos since a coup in February last year, with more than 1,700 people killed in crackdowns on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. AFP -
Military hardware is displayed during the parade. AP -
'People's Defence Force' fighters clash regularly with troops, with some analysts suggesting the military has struggled to respond effectively to their hit-and-run tactics. EPA -
Jets flew overhead at the parade trailing the yellow, red and green of the national flag. EPA -
Armed Forces Day commemorates the start of local resistance to the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. EPA -
Myanmar soldiers stand on military vehicles during the parade. EPA -
Last year, as Min Aung Hlaing inspected the parade, the military carried out a crackdown on democracy rallies that left about 160 protesters dead, according to a local monitoring group. EPA -
Myanmar female soldiers march at the parade. EPA -
The junta has become increasingly isolated, with Cambodia's leader Hun Sen the only foreign leader to visit since the coup. EPA -
On Sunday Min Aung Hlaing accused unnamed 'foreign aggressors' of working against the military and called for the armed forces to remain united against 'internal and external mischiefs'. AP -
Myanmar military officers leave the venue. AP -
Myanmar soldiers stand on military vehicles during a parade commemorating the 77th Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw Myanmar. EPA -
Myanmar's military officers stand on top of trucks loaded with missiles. AP -
Myanmar fighter jets perform in the sky. AP -
Russia's vice defence minister had been due to attend this year's parade but was unable to because of his “country's affairs”, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said. AP -
In February a UN expert on Myanmar said Russia, along with other major ally China, was continuing to supply the military with weapons, including fighter jets and armoured vehicles. AFP -
Myanmar Air Force helicopers take part in a display. AFP
The true picture of violence has been hard to assess as clashes have spread to more remote areas where ethnic minority insurgent groups are also fighting the military.
On Friday, the World Court rejected Myanmar's objections to a genocide case over its treatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority, paving the way for the case to be heard in full.
The latest executions close off any chance of ending the unrest in the country, said Myanmar analyst Richard Horsey, of the International Crisis group.
“Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed,” Mr Horsey told Reuters.
“This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation.”
