Myanmars military court issues first death sentences since coup
Bangkok, Apr 10 (EFE).- A Myanmar court-martial sentenced 19 people to death over the killing of a soldier, the first capital punishment verdict issued following the February coup.
The Eleven media website reported that 17 of them were sentenced in absentia and warrants have been issued for their arrest.
The crime allegedly occurred in late March in a Yangon district, where martial law was declared.
The MRTV channel, controlled by the military, last night broadcast photos of the two convicts in custody.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets again on Saturday despite the threat of a continued brutal clampdown by state security forces, who have killed over 600 people, including children, since the military takeover on 1 February.
Security forces killed at least 20 people in the city of Bago on Friday when they fired explosive devices at crowds of demonstrators. Protesters returned to the streets of Bago on Saturday nonetheless.
At least 2,931 people have since been detained including the ousted leader of the civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
The military justifies its coup alleging fraud in the November elections, in which Suu Kyi’s party won by a landslide, and which were described as legitimate by international observers. EFE
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