A court under Myanmar’s opposition-led National Unity Government (NUG) has sentenced nine individuals to 20 years in prison for the murder of Catholic priest Fr. Donald Martin Ye Naing Win.
Fr. Donald, 44, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, was shot dead by armed men on February 14, 2025, within the compound of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Shwe Bo district, Sagaing region.
Initial investigations pointed to the assailants being members of local armed groups associated with the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), resistance groups operating in “liberated zones” outside the control of the Burmese military junta, according to a report by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency.
The PDF operates under the authority of the NUG, Myanmar’s government-in-exile composed of lawmakers ousted in the February 2021 military coup.
Local sources told Fides that the PDF were also responsible for tracking down and arresting the perpetrators.
“In a way, the PDF themselves tried to bring the armed men to justice, who, in the current situation of widespread instability, are out of control. However, the reasons for the murder are still unclear,” the sources said.
Fr. John, a fellow priest from Mandalay, remembered Fr. Donald as “a man of God, a parish priest dedicated to the people, a good and sincere person who was committed, above all, to the education of children left without school due to the civil war. He had done nothing wrong.”
The local Catholic community expressed cautious approval of the court’s decision. “There are still too many unanswered questions. The family would also like more clarity and full justice,” Fr. John added.
The sentence was handed down by an informal court operating under the NUG in the Sagaing region, where the official state system has collapsed amid ongoing conflict.
In these “liberated areas,” the resistance has established a parallel governance system, including judicial structures.
District judges preside over trials using laws amended by the military and international human rights standards, and they currently have the authority to impose the death penalty.
