The U.N.’s Myanmar human rights expert Wednesday, sharply condemned the U.S. decision to lift sanctions on allies of Myanmar’s ruling generals and their military-linked companies, calling the move “unconscionable.”
The sanctions were removed shortly after the junta leader sent a glowing letter of praise to President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Tom Andrews, the U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar, described the rollback as a “shocking” shift in U.S. policy that could embolden the junta and its supporters by rewarding those who have supplied weapons, equipment and other resources fueling ongoing abuses.
“This is a major step backward for international efforts to save lives by restricting the murderous junta’s access to weapons,” he said in a statement.
“It is unconscionable to undermine these efforts by rolling back sanctions on Myanmar arms dealers and junta cronies.”
