On July 25th, the military government in Myanmar executed four anti-coup activists. A state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that they were hanged because of their contribution to “brutal and inhumane terror acts.”

The executed profiles are veteran democracy activists and a rapper-turned-politician who are the following: Kyaw Min Yu, Phyo Zeya Thaw, Hla Myo Aung, and Aung Thura Zaw. Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Ko Jimmy, was the student leader during the 1988 uprising to defeat Myanmar’s previous military regime. He was imprisoned until 2005 but was arrested again for his role in the 2007 Saffron Revolution, a protest that occurred after the rising fuel cost. Phyo Zeya Thaw was a former politician during Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. He was a close ally as a lower-house MP in April 2012 when Suu Kyi was elected to parliament. Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw were sentenced to death for killing women who were an essential source for government and have been involved in protests and resistance movements since the 2021 coup.

Dr. Sada, the spokesperson for Myanmar’s National Unity Government, who was appointed by the elected government members but thrown out of office by the military, commented that the execution is a “dark day” for democracy and human rights. He added, “Indeed, they can take away their bodies, but the military generals in Myanmar will not take away the vision of these matters of democracy.” The spokesperson for Justice for Myanmar, Yadanar Maung, urged international sanctions to pressure the military’s State Administration Council and said, “The international community must act now to end the terrorist junta’s total impunity. The international response to these executions and the junta’s other international crimes must involve coordinated targeted sanctions against the junta and its business interests, a ban on jet fuel, and a global arms embargo. Sanctions must be imposed on Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise to stop oil and gas funds bankrolling the junta’s atrocities.”

After the news of the execution was reported, the international community fiercely protested. António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, strongly condemned the decision by referring to it as a “blatant violation of the right of life.” The UN special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, commented that he was “outraged and devastated” by these incidents. “My heart goes out to their families, friends, and loved ones and all the people in Myanmar who are victims of the junta’s escalating atrocities… These depraved acts must be a turning point for the international community.”

Myanmar’s military staged a coup in February last year, saying there was a possibility of fraudulent elections after the NLD won the 2020 election by a landslide. According to Human Rights Watch, 114 people have been sentenced to death since the coup. Myanmar’s Political Prisoner Assistance Association (AAPP) estimates that the military has killed more than 2,100 people since the coup.

Demonstrations have been held in various parts of Yangon since the 26th when the news broke, and civil defence forces and PDF attacks on the military and police have intensified. In response, the military is implementing curfews from midnight to 4 a.m. in four districts, including Bahan, where the central commercial district of Yangon is located, and Botataung, where Yangon Port is. They have banned meetings of more than five people. Amid frequent flash mob protests by citizens protesting the execution of democratic figures in downtown Yangon, counter-demonstrations in support of the military are also increasing confusion.