September 24, 2024

The National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Human Rights (MOHR) has warned that the military junta is preparing to resume executions of pro-democracy activists, putting those imprisoned in Insein Prison at severe risk. The NUG raised concerns about the junta’s intent to issue more death sentences under closed-door trials, which lack fairness and are a continuation of the regime’s brutal repression.

The MOHR of the NUG described the ongoing trials as politically motivated death sentences, stressing that they reflect the junta’s violent suppression of dissent rather than legitimate legal proceedings. In July 2022, the military junta executed four prominent pro-democracy figures—Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Jimmy, Hla Myo Aung, and Aung Thura Zaw—in Myanmar’s first use of the death penalty in nearly 30 years. These executions sparked widespread condemnation.

Recent reports indicate that the junta plans to execute seven individuals held in Insein Prison, including one man and one woman accused of attempting to bomb the prison, and four men and one woman implicated in the killing of a junta police officer on a commuter train.

International organizations, including the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), have condemned the junta’s use of death sentences, warning that such actions constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The NUG has called on the UN Security Council to hold an urgent meeting on Myanmar with full representation of Myanmar’s legitimate government to address the escalating human rights violations and the impending executions.