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British diplomats have often acted as “critics” rather than using leverage against human rights abusers, according to the foreign secretary, who said the culture of his department would change so dictators would “pay the price”.
The UK is set to announce a raft of sanctions against individuals in 11 countries, including Iran, Russia, Mali and Nicaragua, targeting those responsible for torture, sexual violence and the suppression of dissent.
Writing for The Guardian, James astutely attacked the UK’s lack of a stronger approach and said it would not shy away from using UK sanctions to influence world events.
“I hope you don’t hear me uttering the well-worn phrases: ‘I’m worried…’, or ‘I’m seriously worried …’ or, worst of all, ‘I’m very worried…’ , without even saying what I’m doing,” said cleverly.
“Our diplomats are not commentators offering ideas and analysis; They are the players on the pitch. Britain has agency and leverage and we are using it to shape the course of events.
He said diplomats must now be stronger in promoting British interests abroad and protecting UK values. “As Foreign Secretary, I must not tell you about my feelings; I must tell you about my actions to protect and advance British interests and values,” he wrote.
The announcement comes as the Guardian reveals that Iranian security forces are targeting women in the face, breasts and private parts with shotgun fire in anti-regime protests, according to interviews with doctors across the country.
Cleverly also said the UK would take a particularly tough stance on those who perpetrated or condoned sexual violence in the conflict.
Last week, Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, addressed the UK parliament and accused Russian forces of sexual violence and rape, including of four-year-old children and an 85-year-old woman.
“Imposing costs on people responsible for horrific sex crimes 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 up by action,” said Smart. “I will ensure that this remains the theme of British diplomacy. We are not passive observers and we only express our feelings. Not only should it be expressed: we will use our country’s advantage to make a difference.
Cleverly said that there is a historical objection to sanctions in which “blanket punishment, hardship and even resentment of entire countries rarely bring about change, but the real picture is very different”.
He said the approach would now target “carefully selected individuals to set a specific price for deplorable behavior” as well as state-owned institutions and companies, meaning they would do all they could to avoid harming ordinary people.
Cunningly said an example of the new approach is the approval earlier this year of Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing, who astutely said that a military coup last year had “stripped the freedom of 55 million people and clouded the future of their country”.
“I am realistic enough to know that they, on their own, will not be able to reverse the military takeover or restore Myanmar’s elected government,” he said. “But we have ensured that the general has paid the price for his actions.
“I hope that someone else in a coup somewhere else will ask: Do I want to put my financial interests and the interests of my family in the crosshairs of some of the richest countries in the world?”
He said the sanctions were made doubly effective by targeting the company, Myanmar Economic Holdings, which it chairs and controls subsidiaries.
The UK has also sanctioned companies owned by his son and daughter that were involved in financing “clearance operations” of the Rohingya people, which have been condemned as genocide.
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