Narinjara News, 25 July 2022

The United League of Arakan / Arakan Army has condemned the Myanmar military council's execution of fourpersons including two pro-democracyactivists.

In a Burmese language statement, issued today, the organisation asserted thatthe news has shocked the entire Myanmarpeople.

The military council executed four prisoners including a former lawmaker (U Phyo Zoya Thaw alais  Maung Kyaw of NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi) and a prominent activist (U Kyaw Min Yu aliasJimmy), stated the junta media onMonday.

"The execution of four  prisoners shocked not only the ULA/AA, butthe entire people of Myanmar. Weare deeply saddened along with the familiesand relatives of those, who were sentenced to death, and the entire population. We express ourconcern for the peace of Myanmar,” saidthe ULA/AA  statement.

If the execution is real, the military council has simply destroyed the good will for a peaceful solution.The military rulers were supposedto encourage the initiative to resolve conflicts peacefully going along neighboring countries andalso ASEAN countries, added the statement.

Despite the pleas of a number of diplomats and responsible international community members ‘not tosentence the death penalty’, the military council follows its foolish policy that provokes the entire population.

Besides the two political prisoners, U Hla Myo Aung alais Ko Myo and U Aung Thura Zaw alias  Tura werealso executed by the military council.

The AA expressed hope that more future heroes would  be born to sacrifice their lives for  thecause of Myanmar.

The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists to death as part of its crackdown after seizing power on1 February 2021, but it was thefirst incident of execution in Myanmar after decades. Moreover, it is the  first capital punishmentimplemented by the present military regime.

According to the Human Rights Watch, the executions were an ‘act of utter cruelty’.

Amnesty International also condemned the execution saying that it was an ‘atrocious escalation in Staterepression.

Even though the junta faced severe criticism from international organizations in the last few weeks, itinsisted that the executions wouldgo accordingly.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres, while condemning the junta's decision, termed it ‘ablatant violation to the right to life,liberty and security of person’.