From Australia to Thailand and Nepal, young people have been chanting on the streets and scrawling a simple message on the palms of their hands: "Stop executing our friends."
It's a reference to the recent death sentences imposed on at least 10 Myanmar people, including seven young university students.
More than 130 people have been sentenced to death in the South-East Asian nation since a military coup in February last year.
In July, four men were hanged, including prominent political voices Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy.
Those executions were the first to be carried out in Myanmar in more than 30 years, and activists had feared new hangings could be imminent, although the execution date remains unknown.
The students — all under the age of 25 — were accused of being involved in a fatal shooting of a former military officer.
They were convicted and sentenced to death in a closed military court on November 30.
Human Rights Watch has said the junta's secretive military tribunals fail to uphold fair trial standards.
The seven students were all members of the Dagon University Students' Union in Yangon.
They studied subjects such as botany, archaeology, physics, geography and chemistry before the coup uprooted the lives of Myanmar's youth.
Campaigning to save young lives
Min Han Htet — a philosophy student and the president of the Dagon University Students' Union — has been vocal in leading a social media campaign — #StopExecutingOurStudents — in a bid to save the young people facing the gallows.
"Some of them are my close friends," he told the ABC through a translator.
"So, if those death sentences and executions are really conducted, I think it will make me very regretful because I could not do anything for them."
It's for this reason that he's taking the risk of speaking out, despite potential junta reprisals.
Even in Australia, many students and activists can only speak on the condition of anonymity, for fear of the potential and unpredictable violence that could be unleashed on family members still in the country.
"Two years ago they might not even think about being executed like this, being involved in a cruel incident," he said.
"They were just kids … now, here they are being charged with a death sentence."
Relatives of the condemned students told Reuters of their devastation at the news of the death sentences.
"All the family members are heartbroken. Our kids have an amazing future. I want to request the world to help us," said a sister, who asked not to be named, of one of the students.
One father was described as being in tears as he labelled the punishment "unfair".
"We understand he is in prison but we just want him to be alive," he told Reuters.
In Australia, Nway Oo — a youth activist with the Victorian Myanmar Youth who asked to be known only by her nickname — said students in Melbourne and Sydney chanted at a rally last weekend to object to the death sentences.
"The military use the death penalty as a tool or a weapon to make their power stronger and cause great fear to the young people who are defending democracy and exercising their human rights," she said.
Despite this, she said, students would not be deterred from speaking out about injustice and would push to support democracy and end dictatorship, "whatever it takes".
A petition to halt the executions in Myanmar has gained more than 20,000 signatures.
Junta 'not in control', activists say
Outspoken activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi said the executions were part of a campaign of terror to chill resistance to military rule.
"It is highly likely that they're going to do it scare away the younger generation," she said.
"The junta remains in power, but they're not in control."
She said the resistance spanned generational and class divides, and included politicians, farmers, garment workers and defectors from the military and police.
"The people have given up everything, they are doing everything they can … to resist," she said.
"The junta feels like they are losing time, and that is why they now trying to go to an election next year.
"The Australian government shouldn't wait any longer to impose sanctions."
Min Han Htet said student unions like his were being targeted because they were among the groups at the forefront of the anti-coup movement and protests.
"We don't have faith in the judiciary system of the military … for us, it is just an attempt to kill our students," he said.
He said the new death sentences were emblematic of the military's disdain for international norms, and called on international organisations and countries such as Australia to be more decisive in taking sanctions against the military.
Australia has imposed no new sanctions since the coup, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday that "sanctions against members of the Myanmar military regime remain under active consideration".
DFAT said the government was "deeply concerned" by the reports of death sentences, saying: "Australia opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, for all people, and urges all countries, including Myanmar, to cease executions and establish a moratorium on the death penalty."
Australia has downgraded its diplomatic representation in Myanmar, but came under fire this year after documents revealed the government spent more than $2.5 million on luxury hotels and accommodation linked to the junta.
The ABC has approached the Myanmar embassy in Canberra for comment.
Myanmar's military has repeatedly branded the National Unity Government and other groups opposed to its rule as "terrorists", and alleges jailed activists have committed "terror acts".
Australian economist Sean Turnell — an advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi — was released from prison in Myanmar last month after being held for more than 650 days.
More than 13,000 people are still currently detained, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
A 'final battle' against injustice
Under martial law in Myanmar, the regulations state there is "no appeal for decisions or convictions handed down" by a military tribunal.
Human Rights Watch said the only option is for defendants to apply to the junta chair within 15 days of the conviction to reverse the decision or to reduce the sentence, and Radio Free Asia has previously reported those applications can only be filed via prison officials.
"Myanmar's junta should immediately commute the sentences of all those facing the death penalty, a cruel punishment that most of the world rejects," said Manny Maung, Myanmar researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"For those governments that have hesitated to impose targeted sanctions against the junta for its long list of rights violations, the new death sentences should be a clear signal to take action now."
For student unionist Min Han Htet, Myanmar's ongoing fight has global implications.
"This is like a final battle," he said.
"What I want the world to see is this is not just fighting between Myanmar people," he said.
"This is fighting between democracy and fascism. This is a fighting between justice and injustice."
