EU lists seven persons and three entities responsible for serious human rights violations
The Council decided to impose restrictive measures on seven persons and three entities responsible for serious human rights violations, including human trafficking, torture, and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatments, in relation to the operation of scam centres in Southeast Asia.
The EU is notably targeting the Prince Holding Group and its chairman Chen Zhi. The Prince Holding Group is a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate based in Cambodia that builds scam centre compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar through different front companies. These scam centres perpetrate cryptocurrency investment scams and other fraudulent schemes. Furthermore, inside these centres, many victims from different countries are trafficked or lured under false pretences, held against their will, and forced to carry out online scams targeting victims around the world. Additionally, victims working in the scam centres report abuse, torture, kidnapping, and illegal detention within these compounds.
Similarly, the EU is listing the Jin Bei Group, a conglomerate that develops casinos and scam centre compounds in Cambodia with the same aim of perpetrating cryptocurrency investment scams and other fraudulent schemes. Jin Bei Group’s chairman, Zhu Zhongbiao, is also listed today.
Restrictive measures are also imposed on the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a Burmese armed group, controlling territory in Myanmar’s Karen State, around Myawaddy on the Myanmar–Thailand border. DKBA is responsible for facilitating large-scale scam centres, by allowing these illegal compounds to operate under its protection and enabling criminal networks to function within areas under its control. Soldiers of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army have been reported to participate in violence against victims of human trafficking trapped inside the compound.
Individuals and entities listed today are subject to an asset freeze. EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them. Individuals are also subject to a travel ban, which prevents them from entering or transiting through EU territories.
The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.
Background
On 7 December 2020, the Council established a Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, which applies to acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations or abuses (e.g. torture, slavery, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests or detentions). The EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime underscores the EU’s commitment to enhance its role in addressing serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide.
The European Union has consistently expressed grave concern about the proliferation of scam centres in Southeast Asia, which are operated by transnational organised criminal networks and are associated with trafficking in persons, forced criminality, arbitrary detention, torture and other serious human rights violations and abuses. It has underlined the need to dismantle those criminal networks, protect victims and ensure accountability for those responsible. The EU has imposed restrictive measures against those responsible for scam operations threatening the peace, security and stability of Myanmar and the region on 29 October 2024.