On Thursday 30 August, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) said that the preliminary report of the United Nations international fact-finding mission on Myanmar, published at the beginning of the week "confirms the importance of ensuring that perpetrators of crimes are held to account" (see EUROPE 12082).
"The European Union has consistently advocated against impunity for those responsible for systematic human rights violations in Myanmar", the EEAS spokesperson said.
While the EU has already taken measures against seven individuals responsible for or associated with serious human rights violations in Rakhine State, it "will continue to monitor the situation and keep its decision under constant review", the spokesperson stated. The EU has already taken out sanctions on three of the six high-ranking military mentioned in the report, who are accused of "genocide", "crimes against humanity" and "war crimes" against the Rohingya minority (see EUROPE 12048).
The EEAS spokesperson said the EU looks forward to receiving the full report of the mission and stands ready to work on its recommendations. "The EU will reflect with the United Nations and other members of the international community towards establishing an appropriate accountability process", the spokesperson said.
On Wednesday 29 August, members of the mission spoke to the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee and sub-committee on human rights and called on the international community to take action "not only to deliver justice, but also to prevent and discourage future atrocities". "Increased follow-up and increased monitoring is needed for everyone to be aware of what is happening and for there to be increased pressure on the Burmese authorities", they said, calling for international sanctions against the people cited in the report. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)