1956-07-24

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500822

Lieutenant-general Sein Win is a member of Tatmadaw and former Minister of Defence (between 24 August 2015 and 1 February 2021). On 1 February, he participated in a National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) meeting with the other Tatmadaw members. The NDSC meeting was unconstitutional as it did not include its civilian members. During that meeting, Myint Swe was declared Acting President. Myint Swe then declared a state of emergency and handed over legislative, executive and judicial powers of the State to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing. The procedure for declaring the state of emergency was breached as, under the Constitution, only the President has the authority to declare a state of emergency. By his participation in the NDSC meeting during which it was decided to declare the state of emergency and to hand over the legislative, executive and judicial powers of the State to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Sein Win contributed to setting aside the results of the elections held on 8 November 2020 and to overthrowing the democratically elected government. Therefore he is responsible for undermining democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar/Burma. In 2018, the UN as well as international civil society organisations reported gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States against the Rohingya population by the military and police forces since 2011 and concluded that many of those violations amount to the gravest crimes under international law. As Minister of Defence from 24 August 2015 to 1 February 2021, Sein Win is responsible for those serious violations and abuses against the Rohingya population.

(Date of UN designation: 2021-03-22)

2025-04-28

EU

Restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma

EU country specific

Myanmar

Asset freeze and prohibition to make funds available, Restrictions on admission

- All assets of the persons and entities listed in Annexes IV of Council Regulation (EU) 401/2013 should be frozen. It is also prohibited to make any funds or assets directly or indirectly available to them. The list of persons and entities concerned is included in the Financial Sanctions Database (linked). - Member States shall enforce travel restrictions on persons listed in the Annex of Council Decision 2013/184/CFSP.

In view of the absence of progress towards democratization and of the violation of human rights in Myanmar/Burma, on 28 October 1996, the EU reaffirmed the restrictive measures already in place, which included an arms embargo, and introduced additional ones, such as travel restrictions and the suspension of high-level bilateral governmental visits to Myanmar/Burma. In response to the positive developments and as a means of encouraging changes to continue, on 22 April 2013 the EU lifted all restrictive measures against Myanmar/Burma with the exception of the arms embargo and the embargo on equipment which might be used for internal repression. However, reacting to the systematic human rights abuses perpetrated by Myanmar/Burma military and security forces, in particular in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states, the EU Foreign Ministers in February 2018 called for strengthened restrictive measures. Accordingly, in the course of 2018 the Council of the EU adopted additional measures that included an extension of the embargo on arms and equipment which might be used for internal repression, as well as targeted restrictive measures against senior military officers of the Myanmar armed forces. Derogations to the restrictive measures are possible, including the delivery of humanitarian aid. On 21 April 2022, the Council of the EU decided to renew the restrictive measures until 30 April 2023.