You may not have heard of General Min Aung Hlaing, but this military dictator has robbed 55 million people of their freedom and blighted the future of his country.
Last year, he seized power in Myanmar, overturning the result of a free election which a military-backed party had lost by a huge margin.
The UK denounced this outrage at the time, but I’m acutely conscious that words alone are not enough. So we followed this up by using new post-Brexit powers to impose personal sanctions on the dictator, banning him from entering the UK and freezing any assets he holds here.
We’ve targeted a company that he chairs, Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, which in turn controls scores of subsidiaries – all of which are now, by extension, under sanctions. The UK has also sanctioned companies, owned by his son and daughter, which were involved in financing the Rohingya clearance operations.
We’ve acted in concert with our partners around the world – particularly the US, Canada and the European Union – to maximise the effect of these measures.
I am realistic enough to know that they will not, on their own, reverse the military takeover or restore Myanmar’s elected government. But we have ensured that the general has paid a price for his actions.
I hope that any other coup-plotter anywhere else will ask: do I want to place my financial interests and those of my family in the crosshairs of some of the richest countries in the world?
Backing words with action is exactly the kind of diplomacy that I want to lead. I hope you will not hear me utter the well-worn phrases: “I am concerned by … ”, or “I am gravely concerned by … ” or, worst of all, “I am deeply concerned by … ”, without also saying what I am doing.
As foreign secretary, I should not be telling you about my feelings; I should be telling you about my actions to protect and advance British interests and values. Our diplomats are not commentators offering thoughts and analysis; they are players on the pitch. Britain has agency and leverage and we are using it to shape the course of events.
Sanctions are one of the most important tools in our hands. By leaving the EU, the UK regained the power to impose independent national sanctions. My predecessors and I have taken the opportunity to construct a new approach towards using this vital instrument.
There is an historic association of sanctions with general embargos and the blanket punishment of entire countries, inflicting hardship and resentment but seldom bringing change, but the real picture is very different.
Today, the UK imposes sanctions on carefully selected individuals in order to exact a price for malign behaviour. We also target particular entities and companies – often state-owned – to deter destructive activity while doing all we can to avoid harm to ordinary people.
One of my first acts as foreign secretary was to sanction three Iranian military commanders and one company for supplying Russia with the armed drones that are killing innocent civilians in Ukraine.
Now that we have sovereign control over UK sanctions, we can act swiftly and robustly. Today, the UK is enforcing national sanctions against over 2,000 individuals and 400 entities across the world.
In 2020, my predecessor, Dominic Raab, created a UK system of “Magnitsky sanctions” named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who was murdered in prison in 2009 after uncovering massive tax fraud. We reserve these measures for people involved in human rights violations or corruption; so far we have used them against 107 individuals.
We have also exacted a price for egregious acts of state policy. After Vladimir Putin launched his latest onslaught against Ukraine in February, the UK put together the biggest package of sanctions ever enacted against a major economy.
So far we have targeted over 1,200 Russian individuals, including at least 100 oligarchs and their families, with a net worth exceeding £140bn.
We’ve hit whole sectors of the Russian economy, immobilising Russian central bank reserves, preventing Russian companies from raising funds in the City of London, and placing UK financial services beyond the Kremlin’s reach. Together with allies, our sanctions have undermined Russia’s ability to wage war.
Today, I will announce new sanctions on individuals in 11 countries, including Iran, Russia, Mali and Nicaragua, targeting those responsible for acts of torture, sexual violence and the repression of protests.
Imposing a cost on people behind horrific sexual offences is a central part of our strategy to eradicate these crimes. We are right to express our horror and revulsion, but our words will always count for more when they are backed by action.
I will ensure this remains the theme of British diplomacy. We are not passive observers and we should not merely voice our feelings: we will use our country’s leverage to make a difference. As the likes of General Min Aung Hlaing have found to their cost.
