Wagner Group draft proscription order laid before parliament

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has laid a draft proscription order before parliament, which would make it illegal to support Wagner Group.

The order would proscribe the group under the Terrorism Act and once agreed, will come into force on 13 September.

It would make it a criminal offence to belong to, encourage support for, assist or use the logo of that group. Wagner’s assets can also be categorised as terrorist property and seized.

Proscription offences can be punished with up to 14 years in prison, as well as or in place of a fine.

The home secretary considered the nature and scale of organisation’s activities; the threat they pose to British nationals overseas; and the need to support other members of the international community in the global fight against terrorism.

The order will be debated in parliament this week and would see Wagner become the 79th organisation to be proscribed in the UK.

Braverman said: "Wagner is a violent and destructive organisation which has acted as a military tool of Vladimir Putin’s Russia overseas. While Putin’s regime decides what to do with the monster it created, Wagner’s continuing destabilising activities only continue to serve the Kremlin’s political goals.

"They are terrorists, plain and simple – and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law. Wagner has been involved in looting, torture and barbarous murders. Its operations in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa are a threat to global security.

"That is why we are proscribing this terrorist organisation and continuing to aid Ukraine wherever we can in its fight against Russia."

Security minister Tom Tugendhat said: "Proscription names Wagner Group for what they truly are: terrorists.

"This is a murderous organisation which is responsible for committing atrocities across the world.

"Proscribing Wagner sends a clear message that the UK will not tolerate Russia’s proxies and their barbaric actions in Ukraine, and condemns Wagner’s campaign of corruption and bloodshed on the African continent, which has been repeatedly linked to human rights violations.

Image: Информационное агентство БелТА, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons