7.25.13 burma letter to obama
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7/27/2019 7.25.13 Burma Letter to Obama
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Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network are now
July 26, 2013
The Honorable Mr. Barack Obama
President of the United States of AmericaThe White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
On behalf of the thousands of Americans concerned about severe human rights abusescontinuing in Burma, I am writing to urge you to maintain pressure on the Burmese government
through all available means at your disposal, including maintaining sanctions.
Over the last several months you have received some 10,000 emails from American citizens
expressing their concern over the Burmese governments inadequate response or even
complicity in ethnic and religiously motivated violence in Burma and asking you to do all inyour power to push Burma to stop the violence. Another 10,000 messages have been sent to the
U.S. Congress in recent weeks urging members to act to renew remaining sanctions on Burma
until growing violence targeted against Muslims is addressed.
This is not a regime that should be rewarded with the lifting of remaining economic sanctions.
The State Department recently cited Burmas failure to protect civilians concluding that abuses
continued with impunity. And the UN Special Rapporteur for Burma reported that human rightsabuses committed by security forces against Burmas Rohingya Muslim minorities are
Widespread and systematic. Sanctions are the final bit of pressure the United States has left to
demand that the Burmese government finally do what is right.
With the expiration of the sanctions mandated by the Burma Freedom and Democracy Act on
July 25, 2013, trade related to a wide range of products linked to human rights abuses has been
opened up. Last year you maintained some key sanctions, including those on jadeite and rubiesthrough Executive Order. We urge you to once again use your powers to ensure that sanctions
are maintained at the very least on these most problematic of products.
From hate speech to burning of mosques, the ominous warning signs of genocide continue to
grow in Burma. The Burmese government has been both implicated in the violence and found to
stand by when they could be protecting civilians. Now is not the time to let up what remaining
1100 17th Street, N.W., Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202-556-2118 | fax202-833-1479
www.endgenocide.org
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7/27/2019 7.25.13 Burma Letter to Obama
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pressure the U.S. government has on the Burmese government. Ensure that leverage is
maintained with sanctions and make clear to the Burmese government that any further rewards
will not come without addressing the violence against civilians in Burma.
Sincerely,
Thomas H. AndrewsPresident and CEO
United to End Genocide
cc:
John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of StateSusan Rice, National Security Advisor
Uzra Zeya, Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor, Department of StateDaniel Russel, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asia and the
Pacific, Department of State
Derek Mitchell, U.S. Ambassador to Burma
1100 17th Street, N.W., Suite 500 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202-556-2118 | fax202-833-1479
www.endgenocide.org