The Australian Foreign Ministry has reported on Tuesday the imposition of sanctions «for human rights violations» on Burmese and Iranian individuals and entities.
Australian authorities have imposed «targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on individuals responsible for egregious human rights abuses in Burma, as well as sanctions on entities that enable the repression of its people,» while it has also announced «additional sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities for abhorrent human rights abuses.»
«Australia supports the people of Burma, the people of Iran and the people of Ukraine. We employ all strategies at our disposal to defend Human Rights, from dialogue and diplomacy to sanctions, consistent with our values and interests,» the Ministry, led by Penny Wong, says.
The ministerial portfolio has specified that the sanctioned persons include 16 members of the Burmese State Administration Council and «key persons directly responsible for the coup d’état» which has completed two years this Wednesday.
Two other military-controlled entities will also be subject to these sanctions, namely Myanmar Economic Public Holding Ltd and Myanmar Economic Corporation.
«Over the past two years, Australia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and international partners have repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to engage in constructive dialogue and find a peaceful and lasting solution to the current crisis,» reads a ministerial statement.
However, Australian authorities have lamented that, «despite these calls, the regime has continued its undemocratic actions against the people of Burma, including violence and recent steps directed against opposition voices.»
As such, Australia «will continue to closely monitor the actions» of senior officials in the Asian country, «seeking improvements for the people on the ground and progress towards the restoration of democracy, including credible elections.»
On the other hand, regarding the Iranian case, the Australian government has imposed measures against 16 people -including high-level police, political and military figures- and one entity, «involved in the violent repression of protests following the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini».
Sydney has also applied sanctions against four individuals and four entities involved in the production and supply of drones to Russia, which it is allegedly using to target infrastructure and civilians in the war in Ukraine.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
