By Oyintari Ben
According to a top United Nations official, Myanmar’s military administration has executed more than 130 political opponents since February 2021 as a means of quelling dissent to its authority.
At least seven college students were given death sentences on Wednesday in secret, according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, and there are rumours that up to four more young activists were also given death sentences on Thursday.
Turk demanded that the military government of Myanmar halt all executions and implement a moratorium on the application of the death sentence.
In a statement, he said that “the military continues to hold procedures in secret courts in breach of fundamental standards of a fair trial and contrary to essential judicial safeguards of independence and impartiality.”
The UN chief claimed that the military had also demonstrated its contempt for regional and international peace efforts “by turning to the use of death sentences as a political tool to quell opposition.”
Duwa Lashi La, the leader of a parallel civilian government set up in opposition to the military regime, claimed that since the military gained control and overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, about 2,000 civilians had also been killed.
The National Unity Government’s (NUG) acting president, Duwa Lashi La, told Reuters on Thursday that while the death toll was terrible, it was “the price we must pay” to oppose the military.
The suppression of nonviolent rallies against military authority has now stoked a widespread armed resistance movement, which has exacerbated military persecution, particularly in rural regions.
