BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers agreed Monday to draw up more sanctions on shadowy Russian mercenary group Wagner over its involvement in a string of hotspots, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said.
The private military outfit, which Western capitals see as closely linked to the Kremlin, has been tied to conflicts in Ukraine, Africa and the Middle East.
“There is consensus to move forward in order to take restrictive measures against this group,” Josep Borrell said after a meeting in Brussels.
He said the sanction proposals will now be drafted by European Union experts and discussed further when foreign ministers meet again in December.
EU member France has been spearheading the moves to target Wagner.
Paris fiercely opposes a reported deal between the group and Mali’s military junta to send 1,000 contractors to the jihadist-hit country.
Already last year, the EU blacklisted Wagner’s alleged financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, over the group’s involvement in Libya.
The Kremlin denies it has ties to the mercenary firm.
In addition to targeting Wagner, France also pushed EU counterparts to move forward on sanctioning Mali’s military leadership in the wake of their coup.
Borrell said foreign ministers agreed to set up a legal framework that would allow Brussels to target those blocking a transition back to civilian rule.
The move comes after West African regional group ECOWAS this month slapped individual members of the military junta ruling Mali since the August 2020 seizure of power.
EU eyes more sanctions on Russian mercenaries Wagner
https://arab.news/vzjum
EU eyes more sanctions on Russian mercenaries Wagner
- "There is consensus to move forward in order to take restrictive measures against this group," Josep Borrell said
- EU member France has been spearheading the moves to target Wagner
Venezuela advances amnesty bill that could lead to mass release of political prisoners
- Such an amnesty is a central demand of the country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States
CARACAS: Venezuela’s legislature on Thursday advanced an amnesty bill proposed by acting President Delcy Rodríguez that could lead to the release of hundreds of opposition leaders, journalists and human rights activists detained for political reasons.
Such an amnesty is a central demand of the country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States. But the contents of the bill have not been released publicly, and rights groups have so far reacted with cautious optimism — and with demands for more information.
The bill, introduced just weeks after the US military captured then-President Nicolás Maduro, still requires a second debate that has yet to be scheduled. Once approved, it must be signed by Rodríguez before it can go into effect.
In announcing the bill late last month, Rodríguez told a gathering of justices, magistrates, ministers, military brass and other government leaders that the ruling party-controlled National Assembly would take up the legislation with urgency.
“May this law serve to heal the wounds left by the political confrontation fueled by violence and extremism,” she said in a pre-taped televised event. “May it serve to redirect justice in our country, and may it serve to redirect coexistence among Venezuelans.”
Rights groups, fearing some political detainees will be excluded, want more details about the requirements for amnesty before any final vote.
The Venezuelan Program for Education-Action in Human Rights, or PROVEA, issued a statement emphasizing that the bill must be made public urgently due to its potential impact on victims’ rights and broader Venezuelan society.
Based on what is known so far about the legislation, the amnesty would cover a broad timeline, spanning the administration of the late Hugo Chávez from 1999 to 2013 and that of his political heir, Maduro, until this year. It would exclude people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, and serious human rights violations, reports indicate.
