Washington: The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union today (IST) called on Myanmar’s military regime to immediately end the use of violence. They asked the junta to refrain from further arbitrary executions, to free all political prisoners and those arbitrarily detained and to return the country to a democratic path.
Strongly condemning the recent four executions by the military junta in Myanmar, the G7 said in a joint statement that these executions, the first in Myanmar in over thirty years, and the absence of fair trials showed the “junta’s contempt for the unwavering democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar”.
Those executed were prominent members of the democratic opposition – democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu (known as “Ko Jimmy”), former Member of Parliament Phyo Zeyar Thaw, as well as Aung Thura Zaw and Hla Myo Aung.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the four victims and with those of the many others who have been killed, arrested or tortured in Myanmar since the military illegitimately took over power in February 2021,” the G7 ministers said.
While supporting efforts by ASEAN, and calling for the military to meaningfully implement all aspects of the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, the G7 pointed out that this included an inclusive process of dialogue with a broad range of democratic opposition.
“We also continue to support efforts by the United Nations, and encourage effective coordination between the ASEAN Special Envoy and the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Myanmar,” the joint statement said.
– global bihari bureau
