US Should Retain Key Sanctions on Burma

The US government should keep in place sanctions on Burma to deter the Burmese military from derailing democratic reforms, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has learned that the Obama administration plans to announce the lifting of key sanctions during Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to Washington, DC, which begins on September 14, 2016.


“US sanctions are focused on the Burmese generals and their cronies in order to encourage democratic reforms,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “The sanctions are crucial for pressing the military to end rights abuses and transfer power to a fully civilian government. They shouldn’t be fully lifted until the democratic transition is irreversible.”
Many of the sanctions restricting Burmese financial institutions, imports, and US investment in Burma were already eased or removed entirely between July 2012 and May 2016. Most of the remaining sanctions specifically target the Ministry of Defense, state or non-state armed groups, and individuals and entities on the US Department of Treasury’s “Specially Designated Nationals” (SDN) List.


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