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The illegal Myanmar military junta’s rebranding of the name of its executive, legislative and judicial entity, the "State Administration Council" (SAC), to the so-called "State Security and Peace Commission" (SSPC), has created a dangerous loophole for the junta to circumvent international sanctions.
As part of its illegal coup attempt and ahead of its planned sham election, the military junta dissolved the so-called SAC and replaced it with SSPC on July 31, 2025.
As was the case with SAC, SSPC’s "chair" and "vice-chair" are the war criminals Min Aung Hlaing and Soe Win, who are sanctioned by Canada, EU, UK, USA and Australia. All 10 members of SSPC are sanctioned in at least one jurisdiction and all were senior members of the junta before July 31.
Since its change of name to SSPC on July 31, the junta has further intensified its campaign of terror against the people, with indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling, arbitrary arrests, torture and the destruction of whole communities.
Last Sunday alone, the junta carried out an aerial massacre in Mawchi, Karenni State, killing at least 32 civilians.
The entity SAC was sanctioned by the USA on May 17, 2021, the UK on June 21, 2021, the EU on November 8, 2022 and Canada on October 31, 2023.
Under control and ownership tests in respective sanctions laws, the designation of SAC generally meant that all entities under its control were in effect also sanctioned, including ministries and state-owned enterprises that the junta illegally seized through its violent coup attempt.
The loophole created by SAC’s dissolution may have enabled the junta’s recent hiring of the US public relations firm DCI Group, in a $3 million yearlong contract with a scope to "rebuild" relations with the US – an attempt to launder the junta’s international image. DCI has also committed to helping the junta exploit Myanmar's natural resources, which the junta continues to plunder from the people to fund its terror campaign.
The timing suggests premeditation. The junta signed the contract with DCI Group on July 4, weeks before it dissolved SAC, yet made it effective only after the SAC ceased to exist on July 31, likely to exploit the sanctions loophole.
The junta-controlled information ministry signed the contract for the junta. Since 2021, it was under the junta’s former brand SAC and is now under the control of SSPC.
In 2021, the junta hired Ari Ben-Menashe of the Canadian public relations firm Dickens & Madson to lobby the US government. However, the contract was cancelled in July, shortly after the USA sanctioned SAC, because sanctions reportedly prevented payment.
Canada, EU, UK and USA now need to urgently add SSPC to their sanctions lists to ensure the illegal junta remains broadly sanctioned and to prevent their sanctions regimes from being circumvented.
Australia also needs to play its part in upholding human rights and democracy by imposing targeted sanctions on SSPC and the junta’s sources of funds, arms, technology and aviation fuel.
Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung says: "The illegal Myanmar military junta must not be allowed to exploit international sanctions by rebranding itself from SAC to SSPC.
"Sanctions are critical in confronting human rights abusers and perpetrators of international crimes and would-be dictators around the world and governments must not stand for their sanctions regimes being circumvented.
"Canada, EU, UK and USA must respond by urgently sanctioning SSPC, opposing its sham election and increasing efforts to block the junta’s access to funds, arms, technology and aviation fuel through coordinated, targeted sanctions and a global arms embargo.
"Australia must also step up and stand with the people of Myanmar by sanctioning SSPC and catching up with the many sanctions imposed by its allies."
