State media claimed Monday that Myanmar's military junta hanged two renowned pro-democracy activists and two other men on terrorism charges following a trial denounced by the United Nations and rights groups.

Without providing a date, the Global New Light of Myanmar said that veteran democratic activist Kyaw Min Yu, also known as Ko Jimmy, and former National League for Democracy politician Phyo Zayar Thaw were executed, along with Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw.

Their executions are the first judicial executions in the country in decades, and human rights organizations worry that more are imminent. Human Rights Watch reports that 114 individuals have been condemned to death in Myanmar since the military took power in February 2021.

The military accused Ko Jimmy and Phyo Zayar Thaw of being "involved in terrorist acts such as explosion attacks, killing of civilians as informants," junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told CNN. They were given death sentences in January 2022, and Zaw Min Tun announced last month that their appeals were dismissed.

Since the military seized power last year, displacing the elected government and overturning nearly a decade of fragile democratic reforms, civilian cases have been prosecuted in military courts with sessions held in private.

According to rights groups, these covert military tribunals deny the opportunity for a fair trial and are geared for swift, nearly definite convictions, regardless of the evidence.

Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said he was "outraged and devastated" by the executions.

"My heart goes out to their families, friends and loved ones and indeed all the people of Myanmar who are victims of the junta's escalating atrocities," he said. In breach of international human rights law, these persons were tried, convicted, and sentenced by a military tribunal without the right of appeal and reportedly without legal aid.

Manny Maung, a Myanmar researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated in a June statement, "Myanmar military courts' disregard of basic rights was evident in the farcical trials and death sentences of Phyo Zayar Thaw and Ko Jimmy."

"These secretive tribunals with their lightning convictions are aimed at chilling any dissent against the military junta," stated the statement.

A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stated previously that the UN was "deeply troubled" by the decision to execute the prisoners, citing an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Since the takeover, Amnesty International has reported an "alarming" increase in the number of death sentences in the country, which it says are intended to "sow fear."

Phyo Zayar Thaw, a National League for Democracy lower house member in Naypyidaw, on August 24, 2015.

In June, Amnesty International tweeted, "The death sentence has become one of many appalling ways the Myanmar military is attempting to sow fear among anyone who opposes its rule, and would add to the grave human rights violations, including lethal violence targeted at peaceful protesters and other civilians,"

According to a 2021 Amnesty study, Myanmar's last known judicial execution occurred in 1988. Since then, other death sentences have been issued in the country, but they have typically been "commuted through mass pardons," according to Amnesty.

Prominent activists

Phyo Zayar Thaw, age 41, was a member of Myanmar's lower house of parliament for the National League for Democracy, the party of ousted state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Phyo Zayar Thaw was a prominent hip-hop artist and founding member of Generation Wave's pro-democracy youth organization before he entered politics. His campaigning led to his imprisonment in 2008 by the previous military dictatorship.

Phyo Zayar Thaw was detained in November 2021 during a raid on an apartment complex in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. According to local media, he was accused of plotting assaults on junta targets and was charged under the Counterterrorism Law and the Public Property Protection Act.

During the 1988 massive public movement against the then-military rule in Myanmar, Ko Jimmy became a notable student activist. As a result of his activism and participation in the 8888 demonstrations and the 2007 Saffron Revolution, he served almost 15 years in prison.

According to local media, Ko Jimmy was arrested in October 2021 on charges of treason and terrorism for allegedly coordinating guerrilla strikes against junta targets. The authorities also sought him for allegedly instigating unrest through social media posts criticizing the coup.

Since assuming power, the military junta commanded by Min Aung Hlaing has engaged in a brutal campaign against its opponents. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, throughout this time, armed troops have arrested about 15,000 people and killed more than 2,000.

The United States, the United Nations, and other international authorities have accused the military of crimes against humanity and war crimes as it strives to control the people, who continue to launch a widespread resistance.