On March 22, 2021, the European Council enacted Counsel Regulations (EU) 2021/479 and 2021/480 to impose sanctions against eleven individuals responsible for the February 1, 2021 military coup in Burma and the subsequent repression of peaceful protestors by its military and police. Ten of the eleven persons sanctioned are high-ranking members of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Burma, and the eleventh is the new Chairperson of the Union Election Commission who cancelled Burma’s 2020 election results. A list of names and actions taken by the sanctioned individuals can be found in the Official Journal.
The new regulations ban all sanctioned individuals from entering and traveling through EU territory and freeze all assets under EU control. EU citizens and companies are also prohibited from making funds available to sanctioned individuals.
These new restrictions build upon the Council’s February 22, 2021 condemnation of the military coup in Burma that called for the release of officials arrested in connection with the coup, and requested that authorities respect the freedom of Burma’s citizens to express, associate and assemble without the threat of violence. The Council also expressed its readiness to adopt future measures in response to the coup as necessary, and ensured that any adopted measures would not adversely affect the citizens of Burma.
European Council Press Release | Official Journal of the European Union – 22 March 2021