Four democracy activists have been executed by Myanmar’s military in what is believed to be the first use of capital punishment in decades.

The four, including activist Ko Jimmy and lawmaker, Phyo Zeya Thaw, were accused of committing “terror acts”. They have been sentenced to death in a closed-door trial that rights groups criticised as unjust.

Pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is sad after hearing the news, according to a source close to her. Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, did not make any comments, the source added. She was arrested in February 2021, following an army-led coup.

Reaction by Deceased’s Family Members

Family members of the deceased gathered at Insein prison (located in Yangon Division, near Yangon, the old capital of Myanmar) on Monday, July 25, 2022, desperate for information on their loved ones.

The mother of Zayar Thaw cried out pointing out that she was not told when exactly her son would be executed, adding that she is 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 (Zayar Thaw’s mother) told the reporters present. “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, earlier said they were yet to receive the bodies. The families 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 were 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 (UN). Previous executions in Myanmar (also known as Burma) 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 organisations.

“I am outraged and devastated at the news of the junta’s execution of Myanmar patriots and champions of human rights and democracy,” says 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 comprised 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 its activism against the country’s military junta in the 1988 student uprisings.

He, alongside his wife, fellow activist Nilar Thein, was 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 (2021) after being accused of hiding weapons and ammunition at an apartment in Yangon and being an “adviser” to the National Unity Government.

Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a former hip-hop star who later 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 2021 for alleged anti-terror offences.