The U.S. Sanctions a Myanmar General and Dozens of Others from Various Countries

The United States has sanctioned 52 individuals and entities from various countries due to human rights violations and corruption, including General Maung Maung Soe from Myanmar, who is said to have played a role in the massacre of the Rohingya Muslim minority. According to a Reuters report on Thursday, December 21, the list provided by the U.S. Treasury Department of those sanctioned includes Benjamin Bell Mel, advisor to South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, Yahya Jammeh, former President of Gambia, Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler, and friend of Congolese President Joseph Kabila. The U.S. Treasury Department stated that the United States has 'irrefutable evidence' regarding the actions of Maung Maung Soe and his security forces, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, and the burning of villages. Maung Maung Soe is accused of orchestrating devastating operations that led to the flight of over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh. The Myanmar military has previously denied allegations against its security forces regarding rape and killings. However, the United Nations and the United States have described the events in Myanmar and what has happened to the Rohingya minority as 'ethnic cleansing.' According to this report, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson emphasized in a statement that Washington's action to impose sanctions against these 52 individuals and entities reflects the country's firm resolve to punish those involved in human rights violations and corruption. The approval of these sanctions is the first action by the U.S. government under a new law that emphasizes universal human rights standards and was enacted following the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer and writer in a Russian prison.