UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said a military court in Burma handed down death sentences to at least seven students during a closed session on Wednesday, adding that “by using death sentences as a political tool to suppress dissent, the military is confirming its disregard for efforts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the entire international community to end violence and create conditions for political dialogue”, referring to ASEAN’s efforts to work to restore peace in Burma.
For its part, the French news agency tried to get a comment from the ruling military representative from outside Burma to confirm this information, but to no avail.
A statement from the Dagon University Student Union said: “The application of the death penalty to students is an act of revenge on the part of the army.”
The United Nations confirmed that it was investigating reports that four other youth activists had been sentenced to death last Thursday.
