Mitali Palnitkar
Published On: January 22, 2022 at 17:21 IST
On January 21, 2022, two political activists were sentenced to death for allegedly being involved in terrorist activities in Myanmar, reported an army television station Myawaddy TV.
The two activists named Kyaw Min Yu and Phyo Zeyar Thaw were convicted under Myanmar’s Counter-terrorism law. They were found to be guilty of being involved in bombings and financing terrorism.
Both the activists had been detained since their Arrests and no details of their Trials were available as the Proceedings took place in a closed Military Court. No lawyer has commented on their behalf until now.
In February 2021, the military in Myanmar had seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Its control over Myanmar led to protests and non-violent demonstrations. Hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands were arrested for Political Offences.
Kyaw Min Yu was one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group and was politically active. He spent more than 12 years in Jail. He was arrested on October 23, 2021 in Yangon. After two weeks of his Arrest, the Military accused him of “conducting terrorist acts including mine attacks to undermine the state stability.” They also alleged that he headed the ‘Moon Light Operation’ to carry out guerilla attacks.
Phyo Zeyar Thaw was a former lawmaker in Aung Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party. He was arrested on November 18, 2021 for possessing weapons and ammunition. The military accused him of being the key person in carrying out terrorist attacks in Yangon.
Though the modern-day Myanmar has a record of carrying out death sentences quite rarely, the two prominent political activists have been sentenced to death by the Military led government in Myanmar.
Also read: Turbulent Political History of Myanmar