Former military insiders in Myanmar have exposed chilling details of extrajudicial killings carried out by the ruling junta, targeting suspected urban resistance fighters in secret operations sanctioned at the highest levels.

 

In a report by Al Jazeera, a senior officer—identified only as “AK”—described how four detainees were tortured and executed in early 2024 after being held at one of the military’s most notorious interrogation centres. Bound and blindfolded, the men were taken to a remote roadside, forced to kneel, and shot from behind. AK said the killings were ordered by a senior commander and carried out with pistols to avoid drawing attention.

 

“They didn’t know it was the moment they would die until they heard the bullets,” AK recalled, adding that the brutality haunted him for days.

The bodies were later transferred to a military hospital, where doctors allegedly falsified death certificates to obscure the true cause of death.

 

Leaked documents and photos reviewed by Al Jazeera contradict official claims that the men were killed while trying to escape. One image shows a victim with his eyes covered and hands tied—clearly incapable of fleeing.

 

AK’s account is supported by other defectors and former military doctors, who say such killings have become routine since the 2021 coup. Medical staff are reportedly pressured to conceal evidence of torture and death in custody, particularly when victims are linked to the pro-democracy resistance.

 

The military, known as the Tatmadaw, has faced growing opposition since seizing power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. Peaceful protests were met with lethal force, sparking a nationwide armed resistance. Urban fighters—often young activists—have been targeted in covert operations, while ethnic militias continue to battle for autonomy in rural areas.

 

Despite international condemnation, the junta has shown no signs of relenting. Defectors say the regime’s strategy includes systematic torture, execution, and cover-ups designed to eliminate dissent while avoiding accountability.

 

“No one could leave that detention centre without approval from the top,” AK said, underscoring the centralised nature of the violence.

 

The revelations add to mounting evidence of human rights abuses in Myanmar, as calls grow for international action and justice for victims of the regime’s brutal crackdown.

 

 

-2025-11-13

Nothing new.  Been going on for decades.  Only now there is widespread resistance from the Burman people.  You could say the military has finally achieved its stated goal of uniting the disparate ethnicities.  Against itself.