Roger Stone’s lobbying for Myanmar’s military junta confirmed by FARA filings

### Claim 1: Monthly payment for lobbying Multiple outlets, including The Guardian and The Straits Times, report that Roger Stone accepted $50,000 each month to provide lobbying services aimed at rebuilding ties between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed government. The payments appear in documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. Myanmar’s leaders have been internationally isolated since the 2021 coup and face accusations of atrocities that may amount to war crimes. Verdict: True Analysis: The steady compensation indicates a deliberate effort to improve the junta’s global standing despite widespread condemnation of its human rights record.

### Claim 2: FARA description of public affairs work According to the same Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, Stone is described as delivering public affairs services to Myanmar’s Ministry of Information. The filings state the work focuses on trade, natural resources and humanitarian relief, and note that he is a consultant for the DCI Group. Verdict: True Analysis: This description shows the lobbying was intended to promote the ministry’s image and facilitate US engagement with the regime, even as the ministry supports a government accused of widespread abuses.

### Claim 3: March 2024 death toll Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Project (ACLED) shows that more than 450 people were killed in air and drone strikes across Myanmar in March 2024, marking the highest monthly death toll since resistance to the 2021 coup began. The United Nations has previously warned of substantial evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the military after the coup. Verdict: True Analysis: The spike underscores the intensifying violence as the military continues to confront opposition forces, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Watch for any potential US legislative response or further sanctions targeting individuals involved in lobbying for sanctioned regimes.