EU imposes additional sanctions on Myanmar officials

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS

The European Council on Friday added seven more Myanmar officials to its sanctions list for alleged human rights violations.

The EU body released a statement that it intends to adopt additional restrictive measures against senior military and border guard police officers in Myanmar for human rights abuse.

Those sanctions include an asset freeze and a travel ban, the statement said.

“The individuals subject to sanctions are part of the Myanmar army and the border guard police. They are listed for serious human rights violations committed against the Rohingya population, ethnic minority villagers or civilians.

"These sanctions follow the findings of the independent international fact-finding mission of the UN Human Rights Council and of other reports which concluded that gross human rights violations were committed in Rakhine, Kachin, and Shan States.

"This brings the total number of persons subject to sanctions for serious human rights violations in Myanmar to 14,” the statement read.

The Council extended and strengthened the EU embargo on Myanmar on arms and equipment that can be used for internal repression on April 26.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August last year.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience."

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

The UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.