Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said the Russian mercenary group Wagner is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government.
Wagner has been heavily involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, and is alleged to have committed numerous territories in the occupied territories.
Explaining the delay in outlawing Wagner, Mr. Shapps told Times Radio: “One of the reasons, of course, is we have a democratic system, we have to declassify information in order to be to take these issues, to make them robust in front of courts.”
“There is a process you have to follow to do those things,” he added.
Once the order is passed by Parliament, it will become illegal to be a member of the Wagner Group or to support it financially or in other ways and those found guilty could face up to 14 years in jail.
It will also allow for Wagner’s assets to be categorised as terrorist property and seized.
Shapps: Wagner has had ‘Devastating Impact’
“We’ve seen how Wagner operates. Obviously, we’ve seen the devastating impact they’ve had or tried to have in Ukraine, but they also operate in Africa or across the Sahel.“And we do not want to see that organisation here. Prescribing them means that becomes illegal once Parliament passes it,” Mr. Shapps added.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Wagner was a “violent and destructive organisation” and its, “continuing destabilising activities only continue to serve the Kremlin’s political goals.”
Relations between Prigozhin and the Russian military high command deteriorated rapidly earlier this year, with the Wagner boss accusing them of failing to provide enough equipment and ammunition for him to take on the Ukrainian enemy.
Is UK Government Position on Wagner and IRGC ‘Hypocrisy’?
The decision to outlaw Wagner has raised questions about why the British government has not proscribed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been accused of supporting terrorists in Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.On Wednesday, Ms. Perez-Shakdam accused the UK government of “hypocrisy” and told The Epoch Times: “The UK will not proscribe the IRGC even though state officials keep talking about it. If they wanted to, they would have. Instead, they are blaming an ephemeral ’they' to divest themselves of guilt and responsibility.”
She said: “Wagner has worked with the IRGC and operates on the same model, so logic would dictate we proscribe the IRGC but we don’t. It means only one thing—that the UK is quite happy with the regime and willing to work with it.”
But Ranj Alaaldin, director of the Crisis Response Council, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Wagner joins a list that includes Hezbollah, Hamas and Boko Haram. This is significant on many levels and will have a bearing on the possible proscription of Iran’s IRGC, since the decision proscribes Wagner, which can be described as a state organ, under the Terrorism Act.”
He added: “Proscribing Wagner strengthens the case for proscribing the IRGC. Opponents of the move argue state organs do not fall within the Act’s ambit but if Wagner falls within its ambit then so does the IRGC. Wagner can be described as a pseudo-state organ, but so can the IRGC.”
Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women, speaking at an event in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday, said: “The government must not wait for someone to be gunned down before they act against the IRGC. The proscription of this notorious force is long overdue. Victims of the IRGC and activists no longer feel safe living in London.”
She added: “The government has consistently resisted proscribing the IRGC, despite unanimous support for such action in Parliament. Ignoring the threats posed by this notorious force to the UK only emboldens terrorists and signifies the continuation of the government’s failed appeasement policy towards the bloodthirsty regime in Iran.”
