In a major setback for democracy in the Myanmar and in the region, the Tatmadaw have executed four pro-democracy activists. This article by Rebecca Tan and Rachel Pannett is published by The Washington Post. Here is an excerpt:

Myanmar’s military junta has executed four pro-democracy activists, carrying out its first death sentences in more than three decades and defying international appeals for restraint. The deaths of the activists, including two of the most prominent leaders of the resistance, sent shock waves through the country Monday and were seen as the junta’s latest attempt to instill terror since violently seizing power last year.

 “It’s unbelievable,” said Moe Zaw Oo, deputy foreign minister for the National Unity Government (NUG) — a shadow administration that has been operating in exile since the coup. “These were political prisoners. … They killed them without any of the right procedures, without any due process.”

Kyaw Min Yu, 51, also known as Ko Jimmy, rose to prominence in student uprisings in 1988 and had spent years in and out of prison for his activism. Phyo Zeya Thaw, 41, was a hip-hop artist turned member of parliament who was widely admired among Myanmar’s youths. They were convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to death in closed-door trials last fall.

Read the full story here.