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UN Officials Condemn Murder of Legal Advsor to Myanmar Ruling Party


Mourners carry the coffin of Ko Ni, prominent Muslim lawyer who was shot dead, at the Muslim cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar, Jan. 30, 2017.
Mourners carry the coffin of Ko Ni, prominent Muslim lawyer who was shot dead, at the Muslim cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar, Jan. 30, 2017.

U.N. officials have condemned the killing of a legal advisor to Myanmar's ruling party and called for a "proper, effective impartial" probe into murder.

Ko Ni, a prominent member of Myanmar's Muslim minority, was gunned down Sunday as he was waiting for a taxi outside Yangon's international airport. He had just returned to Myanmar after an overseas trip.

A taxi driver was wounded in the attack. Officials say the gunman has been arrested.

“I am shocked to the core by the senseless killing of a highly respected and knowledgeable individual, whom I have met during all of my visits to the country, including most recently just over a week ago,” said Yanghee Lee, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar.

She said his death is a “tremendous loss to human rights defenders and for Myanmar.”

A Myanmar presidential spokesman said the suspected attacker is being questioned. No motive for the attack is known.

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