Status: 02.12.2022 9:30 p.m
The US government has blacklisted the Russian Wagner Group as a threat to religious freedom. The mercenary group has been accused of serious human rights violations in several countries.
The US has blacklisted Russia’s Wagner Group from countries and groups it deems dangerous to religious freedom. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the mercenary group of Putin confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin as a “unit of special concern”. The main focus is on the actions of the troops in the Central African Republic, where Christians and Muslims have been fighting each other for almost a decade.
The Wagner Group is considered Russia’s shadow army. Their fighters are deployed in Ukraine, Mali, Libya and the Central African Republic, among others. Western countries and UN experts accuse them of serious human rights abuses, including torture and targeted killings.
No immediate consequences
The US government submits the US blacklist of violations of religious freedom to the US Congress every year. According to the law, countries and organizations that are guilty of “systematic, persistent and serious violations of religious freedom” are on it. The classification has no immediate consequences. However, sanctions can be imposed on the countries and organizations on the list.
In addition to the Wagner Group, the list also includes the Afghan Taliban, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Somalia’s Al Shabaab and two Islamic State groups. Blinken also named China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as “countries of particular concern” regarding religious freedom.