The Myanmar general accused of leading a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya in Rakhine State is among the 14 rights abusers and corrupt officials hit with sanctions by the US government yesterday.
As the leader of the Tatmadaw’s Western Command, General Maung Maung Soe oversaw “killings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages,” according to US officials.
In November, the general was transferred from his post and put in reserve without explanation from the Tatmadaw.
Under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, General Maung Maung Soe and his assets will be barred from entry into the US. American citizens and businesses are prohibited from doing business with him, and any US assets he owns will be frozen.
Also among the people targeted by yesterday’s sanctions are former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, who once ran a “terror and assassination squad called the Junglers,” and Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the late Uzbek strongman Islam Karimov. She faces charges of theft and embezzlement at home.
The blacklist also includes officials and businessmen from Israel, Russia, China, Ukraine, Guatemala, Pakistan, Serbia, the Dominican Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Today’s actions advance our values and promote the security of the United States, our allies and our partners,” US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
“We must lead by example, and today’s announcement of sanctions demonstrates the United States will continue to pursue tangible and significant consequences for those who commit serious human rights abuse and engage in corruption.”
The sanctions law is based on a previous US law that targeted Russian officials and was passed in late 2016. Officials have spent a year compiling the first list. The list is also expected to grow.
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