The Russian mercenary organisation, Wagner Group, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation today 15th September, 2023 after an order was laid in the British Parliament on Wednesday (6th September).
According to the Home Office publication, stated that this order comes into force with immediate effect and will make belonging to the Wagner Group or actively supporting the group in UK a criminal offence, with a potential jail sentence of 14 years which can be handed down alongside or in place of a fine.
While the mercenary organisation has now been added to the list of proscribed organisations in the UK, alongside 78 others and 14 Northern Ireland related organisations proscribed while as of March 2023, there have been a total of 92 people charged with proscription-related offences as a primary offence in Great Britain, and 56 have been convicted.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism, and it is proportionate to do. For purposes of the Act, this means the organisation: participates in acts of terrorism promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism), or is otherwise concerned in terrorism.
Section 4 of the Terrorism Act 2000 provides that the organisation or any person affected by a proscription can submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations.
If the application is refused the applicant may appeal to Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC). The Commission will allow an appeal if it considers that the decision to refuse de-proscription was flawed, applying judicial review principles.
UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said Wagner was “violent and destructive, a military tool of Vladimir Putin’s Russia,”. She stated that its work in Ukraine and Africa was “threat to global security” adding that the group continue destabilising activities only continue to serve Kremlin’s political goals.
“They are terrorists, plain and simple – and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law.” Wagner was instrumental in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as operations in Syria and countries in Africa including Libya and Mali.
Meanwhile, Terrorism as defined in the Act, means the use or threat of action which: involves serious violence against a person; serious damage to property; endangers a person’s life (other than that of the person committing the act); creates a serious risk to health or safety of the public or section of the public or is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.
Also, the use or threat of such action must be designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and must be undertaken for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.