Myanmar junta executes 4 democracy activists
Myanmar's military junta has executed four democracy activists it accused of "terror acts," state media reported Monday. A junta spokesman later confirmed the news, which sparked condemnation from human rights activists, The Washington Post and Reuters report.
Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, and Kyaw Min Yu (also known as Ko Jimmy), 53, were convicted on terrorism charges in closed-door trials last fall. The other two executed men, Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw, were convicted of killing an alleged military informant.
The executions were the first in the country in more than three decades. The activist Assistance Association of Political Prisoners says security forces have killed more than 2,100 people since last year's coup, a figure the junta disputes.
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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