Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner PMC, said that the US has no legal basis for recognizing his company as a foreign terrorist organization. His words were quoted by the press service of the company “Concord” in the public “VKontakte”.
“As for the criteria for an organization to be classified as a terrorist organization (according to US regulation), there are three points and nine sub-points that describe in detail who the terrorist is. PMC “Wagner” does not fall under any of these criteria. But the activities of the United States are entirely appropriate for them,” he said.
Prigozhin added that PMC Wagner “always defends the interests of Russia, Russians abroad, citizens of the Russian Federation, partners of Russia in any country and on any continent, always fights against terrorism, banditry, violation of the rights and freedoms of citizens.” . “
He also stated that “the experts of the media empire” “provided the United States with strong opposition to its interference in the elections of Russia and other countries, put the United States on its shoulders with its own tools, played by its own rules”. “
November 29 Bloomberg, citing the source reportedUS President Joe Biden said the administration is considering adding Wagner to the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations as a foreign terrorist organization.
The White House has not made a final decision regarding the Wagner PMC.
According to sources, the reason for the controversy was the important role played by the “Wagnerists” in the military conflict in Ukraine and their growing influence in Africa.
The United States, which recognizes the organization as a terrorist organization, declares its right to prosecute its members and monitor the group’s international presence around the world.
on the list published There are nearly 70 organizations on the website of the US Department of State. These include Al Qaeda (the organization is banned in Russia), the Colombian FARC, the African Boko Haram, various units of the Islamic State (the organization is banned in Russia), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC), branches. Irish Republican Army (IRA), Hezbollah, Hamas.
To list an organization as a foreign terrorist organization, the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau prepares a detailed report that gathers open-source information and intelligence to verify that a suspected group meets the terrorism criteria.
The organization must first be foreign; second, if it is involved in terrorism as defined in US law; Third, the terrorist activities of the organization must threaten the security of US citizens or pose a threat to national security.
American natural and legal persons do not have the right to assist foreign terrorist organizations; Members of such groups are deported from the United States, they are not allowed to enter the country. US financial institutions should freeze funds in the accounts of those designated as terrorists.
Creation of PMC “Wagner”
On September 26, the entrepreneur and owner of the Concord company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, admitted that in 2014 he founded a group that was later called PMC Wagner.
According to the businessman, the PMC was created by him in the spring of 2014, “when the genocide of the Russian population of Donbass began.”
“I cleaned old guns myself, found bulletproof vests myself, and found experts who could help me with this. From that moment on, on May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, ”the author said.
Prior to that, Prigozhin officially denied any relationship with the Wagner PMC, sued the media, which published messages about the connection of the “mercenary group” with the businessman. “I have nothing to do with PMC Wagner. In addition, since my name is constantly mentioned in connection with this company, I can make the following comment: There is no concept of a private military company in the Russian Federation,” he said.
The businessman has been under US sanctions since December 2016. In 2018, the US Department of Justice accused the entrepreneur and his Internet Research Agency (“troll factory”) of interfering in the 2016 US presidential election. In 2020, sanctions were imposed on firms allegedly linked to Prigozhin.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.