Ethnic Kokang rebels in northern Myanmar have executed six people following a public trial in front of hundreds of people that was filmed and posted on social media, including murder, the group confirmed Friday.
The six were among 14 individuals tried on Thursday by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, which had been fighting the junta since a military coup in early 2021, until agreeing to a ceasefire earlier this week.
In the video, which appeared to be professionally produced -- including a militaristic soundtrack and drone shots -- the convicted individuals in blue jumpsuits are held by guards as authorities in uniforms read out their crimes in Mandarin Chinese, the Kokang’s main language.
As the crimes are read out, MNDAA soldiers draw red X’s over signs displaying their names and that they were convicted criminals.
One of the accused, a woman, was convicted of murdering her husband, sources close to the MNDAA said via their social media accounts.
The other male suspects were charged with the murder of a female driver, the killing of a friend, and plotting to kill the owners of a construction and natural gas company.
Eight other individuals, accused of other crimes, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years.
The event took place Thursday in northern Shan state’s Laukkai township.
On Friday, the MNDAA’s Kokang Information Network confirmed that the group had executed the six in a post to its social media page.
The video concludes with the six being paraded around the township in the back of pickup trucks as they are driven to what appears to be an execution site, before being led off by soldiers.
“After the public trial, police officers from the judicial branch escorted the criminals, who had been sentenced according to the law, through the streets for a public display,” the post said. “Then, the convicts were brought to the execution ground to be executed.”
It was not immediately clear how the six were executed.
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Attempts by RFA to contact MNDAA officials for comment on the sentences went unanswered Friday.
The MNDAA has executed individuals it convicted of crimes in staged trials before. In April, another similar video showed several convicted people being publicly condemned for crimes, including three to death.
On May 2, 2023, the MNDAA executed four individuals for their involvement in murders, robberies, and 25 kidnappings in northern Shan’s Lashio township.
‘No way consistent’
Legal experts have expressed concerns over the MNDAA’s actions, noting that the practice of public executions, which occurred during Myanmar’s British colonial era, has long been abolished.
RFA spoke with a lawyer who noted that the Kokang, who speak Mandarin Chinese and share ethnic characteristics with their northern neighbors, “follow the Chinese legal system, as they are subordinate to China and must adhere to its directives.”
The lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous due to security concerns, said that denying the six an appeal of their conviction and publicly executing them, “is in no way consistent with or acceptable under Myanmar’s current legal system.”
“In Myanmar, there are only two ways the death penalty can be carried out: if a civilian court issues a death sentence, the execution takes place in prison, while if a military court issues a death sentence, it is carried out by prison authorities within the prison, or by relevant military commanders,” he said. “There is no provision in our laws that mandates public executions.”
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.