Myanmar sentences 19 to death for killing associate of officer

Members of the armed forces stand guard during a protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar. Credit: Reuters Photo

Nineteen people have been sentenced to death in Myanmar for killing an associate of an army captain in a district of Yangon, the military owned Myawaddy television station said on Friday. It said 17 of the people were sentenced in absentia.

They were the first such sentences announced in public since a February 1 coup. The television said the killing took place in the North Okkalapa district of Myanmar's biggest city. Martial law has been declared in the district, allowing court martials to pronounce sentences.