UK will sanction human rights abusers rather than ‘commentate’, says Cleverly

British diplomats have too often acted as “commentators” rather than using leverage against human rights abusers, according to the foreign secretary, who said the culture of his department would shift so that 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 acts of torture, sexual violence and the repression of protests.

Writing for the Guardian, James Cleverly hit out at the lack of a more robust UK approach and said he would not shirk from using the clout of UK sanctions to wield influence on world events.

“I hope you will not hear me utter the well-worn phrases: ‘I am concerned by…’, or ‘I am gravely concerned by …’ or, worst of all, ‘I am deeply concerned by…,’ without also saying what I am doing,” Cleverly said.

“Our diplomats are not commentators offering thoughts and analysis; they are players on the pitch. Britain has agency and leverage and we are using it to shape the course of events.”

He said that diplomats must now be more robust in advancing British interests abroad and protecting the UK’s values. “As foreign secretary, I should not be telling you about my feelings; I should be telling you about my actions to protect and advance British interests and values,” he wrote.

The announcement comes as the Guardian reveals Iranian security forces are targeting women at anti-regime protests with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts and genitals, according to interviews with medics across the country.

Cleverly also said the UK would take a particularly tough line on those perpetrating or condoning sexual violence in conflict.

Last week, Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, addressed the UK parliament and accused invading Russian forces of sexual violence and rape, including of children as young as four and an 85-year-old woman.

“Imposing a cost on people behind horrific sexual offences 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 by action,” Cleverly said. “I will ensure this remains the theme of British diplomacy. We are not passive observers and we should not merely voice our feelings: we will use our country’s leverage to make a difference.”

Cleverly said there were historic objections to sanctions including “blanket punishment of entire countries, inflicting hardship and resentment but seldom bringing change, but the real picture is very different”.

He said the approach would now target “carefully selected individuals in order to exact a price for malign behaviour” as well as state-owned entities and companies, which would mean they would do as much as possible to avoid harm to ordinary people.

Cleverly said an example of a new approach was the sanctioning earlier this year of Myanmar’s military ruler, Min Aung Hlaing, who Cleverly said had “robbed 55 million people of their freedom and blighted the future of his country” through the military coup last year.

“I am realistic enough to know that they will not, on their own, reverse the military takeover or restore Myanmar’s elected government,” he said. “But we have ensured that the general has paid a price for his actions.

“I hope that any other coup-plotter anywhere else will ask: do I want to place my financial interests and those 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 he chairs and controls scores of subsidiaries.

The UK has also sanctioned companies owned by his son and daughter that were involved in financing “clearance operations” of Rohingya people, which have been denounced as genocide.