Brussels, MINA – The human rights organization Amnesty International urged the EU to increase pressure on the Myanmar regime to stop the violence in northern Rakhine State and address serious human rights concerns countrywide.
“In the face of the crimes against humanity, ongoing ethnic cleansing and other serious violations in Myanmar, EU member states must not let infighting scupper their response,” KUNA reported, citing Iverna McGowan, Director of the Amnesty International, European Institutions Office, in a statement Saturday.
“They must seize this chance and take a united EU stance to end these crimes and violations, prevent the humanitarian crisis from deteriorating further, and help ensure justice for victims,” McGowan noted.
She also indicated that EU foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Rakhine in their forthcoming meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
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McGowan urged the EU to extend the current arms embargo and impose targeted financial sanctions on senior Myanmar officials responsible for serious violations and crimes.
“The EU has historically led the international response on human rights in Myanmar. Silence now, as a scorched-earth campaign rages, would be deafening and will not go unnoticed worldwide,” she added.
As of 6 October, over 530,000 Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh, noted Amnesty. (T/RS5/RS1)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
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