In the News

Today, Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and Ted Yoho (R-FL), senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin detailing the Burmese military’s atrocities against the Rohingya people. In their letter, Connolly and Yoho encouraged the Treasury Secretary to consider these heinous abuses as the Trump administration develops sanctions against Burma.

“Since August 25, 2017, more than 700,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled from Burma to Bangladesh to escape widespread and systematic ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Burmese security forces,” wrote Connolly and Yoho. “Numerous credible investigations have found that these abuses amount to crimes against humanity, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and other senior officials have said the abuses may amount to “acts of genocide.””

“In its investigation, Amnesty International found evidence for nine of the eleven types of crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, deportation or forcible transfer, rape and other sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts, such as forced starvation. Responsibility for these crimes extends to the highest levels of the military,” the members added.

“Last month, the European Union and Canada imposed targeted sanctions on senior Burmese military officials…We urge you to act in concert with our allies and partners in the international community by taking reciprocal measures,” the members wrote.

The full letter follows and is available here.


Dear Secretary Mnuchin,

We write to urge you to review the attached Amnesty International report on Burma entitled ““We Will Destroy Everything”: Military Responsibility for Crimes Against Humanity in Rakhine State.” The report examines in detail the Burmese military’s atrocities against the Rohingya people and determines that these actions amount to crimes against humanity under international law.

Since August 25, 2017, more than 700,000 ethnic Rohingya have fled from Burma to Bangladesh to escape widespread and systematic ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Burmese security forces. Numerous credible investigations have found that these abuses amount to crimes against humanity, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and other senior officials have said the abuses may amount to “acts of genocide.” In its investigation, Amnesty International found evidence for nine of the eleven types of crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, deportation or forcible transfer, rape and other sexual violence, persecution, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts, such as forced starvation. Responsibility for these crimes extends to the highest levels of the military.

Last month, the European Union and Canada imposed targeted sanctions on senior Burmese military officials. The State Department issued a press statement “strongly support[ing]” those accountability actions, and said “The Department of State is working closely with our allies and partners to promote accountability for those responsible for the ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State, and for serious human rights abuses against members of other minority groups, including in Kachin and Shan States.” We urge you to act in concert with our allies and partners in the international community by taking reciprocal measures.

The House of Representatives recently passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5515) in an overwhelming bipartisan 382-30 vote to impose targeted sanctions on senior military officials in Burma responsible for the atrocities.

As you know, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2017 (P.L. 114-328) authorizes the President to impose sanctions on individuals if they are responsible for or acted as an agent for someone responsible for “extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” Military officials who have committed systematic and widespread violations of international recognized human rights, including crimes against humanity, must not be allowed to act with impunity. Please consider the attached report in your deliberations over how to promote accountability for the Burmese military’s egregious human rights abuses against the Rohingya.

Best Regards,