On Monday, the European Council imposed sanctions on four individuals and two entities in Myanmar due to the "continuing grave situation” in the country.
"The listings include a Union Minister, two other members of the State Administrative Council (SAC), and a commander responsible for airstrikes targeting civilians, particularly in Kayah state," the Council said in its statement.
These sanctions also targeted two firms – Star Sapphire Group of Companies and Royal Shune Lei Company Limited – accused of funding the military regime and supplying firearms and military equipment.
The sanctioned individuals face an asset freeze, prohibiting the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to them or for their benefit, according to the statement. The EU also imposed a travel ban on these individuals.
The EU Council emphasized the continuation of prior sanctions, including an "embargo on arms and equipment and export restrictions on equipment for monitoring communications which might be used for internal repression, the export ban on dual-use goods for use by the military and border guard police, and the prohibition of military training and cooperation with the Tatmadaw [Myanmar’s military].”
It expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in Myanmar and condemned the continuing grave human rights violations by the Myanmar armed forces, such as "torture, sexual and gender-based violence, persecution of civil society actors, human rights defenders, journalists, and attacks on the civilian population, including ethnic and religious minorities.”
The United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada unveiled a "sweeping package of sanctions" against 46 individuals and companies from Southeast Asia, Iran, Syria, Belarus, and Haiti linked to human rights violations worldwide.
The first category levied sanctions against nine individuals and five entities for their involvement in human trafficking across Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. These individuals were accused of forcing people to work in online ‘scam farms’ that facilitate large-scale fraud, according to the U.K. Government’s statement.
This list includes the Zhengheng Group Co. LTD. and gambling tycoon Zhijiang She, a naturalized Cambodian national, allegedly implicated in cyber scams and modern slavery, as uncovered by OCCRP earlier this year.
The second set of sanctions targeted various individuals associated with the governments, judiciaries, and prosecuting authorities of Belarus, Haiti, Iran, and Syria. These measures aimed to penalize their involvement in repressing citizens exercising fundamental freedoms.
"We will not tolerate criminals and repressive regimes trampling on the fundamental rights and freedoms of ordinary people around the world," stated U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
In the U.S., the Departments of State and the Treasury imposed visa restrictions and sanctions on 37 individuals across 13 countries. Additionally, Canadian authorities imposed sanctions on two Iranian and one Myanmar official.
