UK sanctions six Burmese junta officials

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab in Nicosia, February 4, 2021. Iakovos Hatzistavrou POOL / AFP

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The United Kingdom on Thursday announced new sanctions against six officials of the Burmese junta, including the commander-in-chief of the army Min Aung Hlaing, for their role in the military coup in early February.

These officials join the 19 others already sanctioned for serious human rights violations when last week the British government had already sanctioned three generals including the Minister of Defense and the Minister of the Interior of Myanmar.

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With our correspondent in London,

Muriel Delcroix

The sanctions announced by London took effect immediately and imply that the six high-ranking military personnel are now banned from staying in the United Kingdom and will no longer be able to do business with British companies.

But London does not stop there: the Department for International Trade will thus ensure that no British company does business with companies belonging to the Burmese junta.

At the same time, the government specifies that "

 any aid which could be indirectly used to support the army has been suspended

 " and that "

 London has put measures in place to ensure that this aid reaches only the poorest inhabitants. and the most vulnerable in Burma 

”.

In a statement accompanying the sanctions, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said the package

sends

a clear message to the Burmese military regime: those responsible for

human rights violations

will be held accountable and the authorities must

return power

to

the government.

people of Burma whose right to democracy and freedom of expression are supported by the United Kingdom and its international allies

 ”.  

See also: Burma: clashes between pro-junta activists and residents in Rangoon

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  • Burma

  • United Kingdom

  • Diplomacy

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