Nine individuals have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, Myanmar.
According to Fides News Agency, the sentences were handed down by a court affiliated with the Ministry of Justice of the National Unity Government (NUG), the government-in-exile leading the opposition against the military junta.
Investigations revealed that the perpetrators were part of local armed groups linked to the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the resistance movement operating in “liberated areas” beyond the control of Myanmar’s military regime. However, reports submitted by the PDF to the NUG suggest that these groups often act independently and beyond the resistance’s direct oversight.
“In some ways, the PDF itself attempted to bring the perpetrators to justice armed men who, in a context of widespread instability, have become uncontrollable. However, the exact motives behind the murder remain unclear,” sources cited by Fides said.
While the court that issued the verdict is not part of Myanmar’s formal judicial system, it operates in the Sagaing region a zone where the collapse of state structure due to the ongoing civil conflict has led to the establishment of a “parallel state” by the resistance. In these areas, district judges conduct trials based on laws amended by the resistance and aligned with international human rights standards.
Father Donald, 44, was killed by a group of armed men on February 14 while carrying out his pastoral ministry at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. Locals said he had been actively engaged in educational efforts for children and youth, especially as schools remain closed due to the civil war.
He was buried in his hometown, Pyin Oo Lwin, on February 16, with more than 5,000 people attending his funeral.
During the funeral Mass, Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay appealed to “all armed groups and actors involved in the conflict to lay down their weapons and choose the path of peace and reconciliation.”
Meanwhile, members of the Catholic community in Myanmar expressed “moderate satisfaction” with the verdict. According to Father John, a priest in Mandalay, the sentence brings some measure of justice, “but many unanswered questions still remain.”
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