Three Civilians Found Tortured and Executed in Pale Township, Sagaing — Abducted as Human Shields

Three civilian men from Chaungkan Village in Pale Township, Sagaing Region were found murdered on April 12, 2026 after being abducted by SAC forces during junta military operations and used as human shields. The victims were identified as Ko Wai Yan Phyo (21), Ko Kyaw Thiha (32), and Ko Phoe Tote (also known as Thant Zin Win, 38). Evidence confirmed they were subjected to torture, killed by gunshot wounds, and had been decapitated — consistent with documented SAC atrocity patterns in Sagaing. The use of civilians as human shields, followed by execution, represents a war crime under international humanitarian law. The discovery comes after weeks of SAC military operations in Sagaing in which at least 100 civilians were confirmed killed since the junta parliament convened on March 16. Human shields tactics have been documented across multiple townships in Sagaing and Mandalay regions, where the SAC forces civilians to walk ahead of military columns or into buildings to deter resistance attacks. Access restrictions by the SAC prevent immediate forensic verification by independent investigators, but local CDM networks and NLD-aligned community reporters documented the case.