U.S. blacklists head of Myanmar military for alleged rights abuses against Rohingya

U.S. blacklists head of Myanmar military for alleged rights abuses against Rohingya
# 10 December 2019 22:31 (UTC +04:00)

The United States on Tuesday blacklisted four Myanmar military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, in the toughest action taken yet by Washington for alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities, APA reports quoting Reuters.

The sanctions targeted the commander-in-chief of the Burmese military, Min Aung Hlaing, on the same day that Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, attended the first day of hearings in a genocide case against Myanmar at the U.N.’s highest court.

A 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. United Nations investigators have said Myanmar’s operation included mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson and was executed with “genocidal intent.”

The military in Myanmar has denied accusations of widespread abuses and said its actions were part of a fight against terrorism.

The U.S Treasury Department said in a statement on Tuesday Burmese military forces had committed “serious human rights abuse” against ethnic minority groups in Myanmar and that Min Aung Hlaing’s forces were responsible for the 2017 military crackdown.

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