The United States remains committed to supporting the people of Burma in their aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Burma. Two years ago, 27 million people went to the polls to vote in a general election that marked an important step in the country’s democratic transition. But the will of the people was denied when Burma’s military staged a coup d’état in February 2021 that reversed a decade of democratic progress.
In a statement marking the second anniversary of Burma’s election, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that since then, the military has conducted a brutal campaign of violence against the Burmese people, killing over 2,400 and arresting 16,000, including President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The United States will continue to support the pro-democracy movement and all those working to establish an inclusive and democratic future in Burma. Secretary Blinken said the United States shares the conviction of that movement’s leaders that the regime’s planned election scheduled for August 2023 “could not possibly be free and fair in the current context. . .and [will] defer the country’s transition to democracy and stability.”
He pledged that the United States, alongside its allies and partners, will continue to impose consequences for the regime’s atrocities.
To date, the United States has designated 74 individuals and 29 entities related to the military coup or for supporting the regime, including the regime’s horrific violence.
Most recently, on November 8, the United States
imposed sanctions on those that have operated in the defense sectors of Burma’s economy and provided aircraft supplies and other materiel to Burma’s military. While calibrated to avoid unintended consequences for the population at large, these actions have targeted key entities and revenue streams that support the military leaders, arms traders, and crony businesspeople affiliated with the regime.
This aligned with the EU’s fifth round of Burma sanctions on November 8, which it adopted “in response to the continuing escalation of violence and grave human rights violations following the military takeover two years ago.”
The United States will continue to work in close coordination with allies and partners, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union, sending a strong signal to the regime and its supporters that the international community will stand in unison against the regime’s horrific actions.
U.S. Remains Committed to Burmese People's Quest for Democracy
The United States remains committed to supporting the people of Burma in their aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic Burma.
