European Union officials condemned the military's seizure of power in Myanmar on Monday (February 1) and demanded the immediate release of people arrested in raids across the country.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that "Myanmar's people want democracy. The EU stands with them." The head of the EU executive, Ursula von der Leyen, called for the "immediate & unconditional release of all those detained."
The EU is Myanmar's third-biggest trading partner and has given the country special trade preferences, which could potentially be removed, although such a process would likely not be immediate.
In 2018, the EU imposed sanctions against Myanmar generals over killings of Rohingya Muslims. The bloc also has an arms embargo on the southeast Asian country.
Few government statements directly named elected Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was among those detained, reflecting what the EU says is her failure to denounce a military campaign against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi, who was awarded the European Parliament's human rights prize in 1990, was suspended from attending any more EU human rights prize events in September last year.