9 people sentenced for murder of Myanmar priest

July 18, 2025

Nine people have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the February murder of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay in Myanmar (map).

The murder took place on parish grounds in the Sagaing Region, the epicenter of the nation’s civil war between the military junta that took power in 2021 and National Unity Government (NUG), led by lawmakers from the overthrown government.

With the collapse of state institutions in the area, the suspects were tried by a NUG-affiliated court. The suspects, in turn, belonged to the NUG-affiliated People’s Defence Force (PDF), which assisted with the investigation.

“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,” local sources told Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies. “However, the reasons for the murder are still unclear.”

A local priest told Fides that “there are still too many unanswered questions. The family would also like more clarity and full justice.”

 

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Further information:

• ASIA/MYANMAR - Nine people sentenced for the murder of the Catholic priest from Mandalay (Fides)
• Priest brutally murdered in Myanmar (CWN, 2/17/25)