Burmese Court Martial Dictates First 19 Death Sentences After Coup

Burmese court martial dictates first 19 death sentences after coup. 17 of those accused of having killed a soldier have not yet been arrested while the military repression has caused the death of more than 600 protesters.

A martial court of justice sentenced 19 people accused of the murder of a soldier to death, in the first death sentences to be handed down after the February 1 military coup in Burma .

The news portal Eleven media, specifies that 17 of the defendants were convicted in absentia and there are arrest warrants for murder , which allegedly occurred at the end of March in a district of Rangoon where the military had decreed martial law. The public channel MRTV, now controlled by the uniformed, last night broadcast the photographs of the two convicts who are under arrest.

According to corroborated figures from the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 618 people have been killed as a result of the violent repression by the authorities since the military uprising .

The protests continue
Despite the brutal repression of the security forces, in which more than 600 people have died, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the country again today to express their rejection against the military command .

In the city of Bago, about 70 kilometers northwest of Rangoon , protesters challenged the military after yesterday’s bloody day, where security forces fired explosive devices in protests.

Local media report at least 20 deaths in Bago from Friday’s crackdown, although they warn that the number could be higher.

The AAPP also indicates that at least 2,931 people have been detained since the riot, including the ousted leader of the civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi .

The Burmese military justify the coup d’état by an alleged fraud in the elections last November, in which Suu Kyi’s party, La Nacional para la Democracia, destroyed and revalidated its power, with the endorsement of international observers.