Myanmar’s military regime has executed two anti-coup activists, Maung Kaung Htet and his wife Chan Myae Thu, on September 23, sparking international outrage and raising concerns for five more activists who face imminent execution, Al Jazeera reports, citing human rights groups.
The Women’s Peace Network confirmed the executions, stating that the couple was convicted “without due process and a fair trial” for their alleged involvement in a parcel bomb attack on Insein Prison in October 2022.
Five other pro-democracy activists – Kaung Pyae Sone Oo, Zeyar Phyo, Hsann Min Aung, Kyaw Win Soe, and Myat Phyo Myint – are scheduled for execution on September 24. They were convicted in a closed court in May 2023 for the alleged fatal shooting of four police officers on a Yangon train.
The executions mark a stark escalation in the junta’s crackdown on dissent since the February 2021 coup. The world was shocked by the execution of four pro-democracy activists in July 2022, the first use of the death penalty in Myanmar since the late 1980s.
Rights groups have condemned the executions, with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reporting that over 20,934 people are currently detained, with 123 sentenced to death.
The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to condemn the executions and intensify diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Myanmar. The APHR further alleges that the five activists facing execution were subjected to torture and sexual violence without access to legal support.
Nicholas Koumjian, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), stated that the UN body is “closely monitoring reports of planned executions of persons sentenced to death in non-public trials,” emphasizing that such executions could constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes.
