EU renews restrictive sanctions against Myanmar junta for another year

The European Council has prolonged the EU restrictive measures, stating that the action was taken in view of the continuing grave situation in Myanmar, including actions undermining democracy, as well as serious human rights violations.

The extension has been approved for another year, Caliber.Az reports referring to the EC's official statement, to be lasting until April, 30 2026.

The European Council's sanctions on Myanmar target 106 individuals and 22 entities. These measures include asset freezes, bans on providing funds or resources, and travel bans to the EU for listed individuals.

Additional restrictions include an arms embargo, export bans on surveillance and dual-use equipment, and a prohibition on military training and cooperation with Myanmar's armed forces (Tatmadaw). As reiterated in the official statement, the EU remains committed to strongly condemn the actions taken by the Myanmar military since 1 February 2021 and "calls for the end of all forms of violence and the release of all prisoners arbitrarily detained." 

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has endured decades of conflict and authoritarian military rule since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. After being governed by the military from 1962 to 2011 and facing widespread international sanctions, the country began a slow process of liberalization. A landmark election in 2015 brought opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to power—an internationally celebrated figure who spent years imprisoned under military rule and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. 

However, her global reputation suffered when she failed to speak out against the military’s violent persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority, which escalated in August 2017, following attacks by a Rohingya militant group when the military launched brutal “clearance operations” that forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Despite political reforms, the military maintained considerable influence until it fully regained control in a 2021 coup, sparking renewed unrest across the country. 

By Nazrin Sadigova