French National Assembly recognizes Wagner group as a terrorist organization

The motion urging the EU and the national government of France to classify Wagner PMC as a terrorist organization received unanimous support in the French National Assembly.

This is announced on the French Parliament’s website.

While not legally enforceable, the adopted document shows the political forces in France are united on this issue.

“Wherever they operate, Wagner militants spread instability and violence. They kill and torture. They stab and loot. They intimidate and manipulate with complete impunity,” said Benjamin Haddad, the ruling party’s lawmaker.

Additionally, he said that Wagner PMC mercenaries engage in criminal activity elsewhere as well, such as in Mali.

Catherine Colonna, the French foreign minister, also backed the measure.

“Murder, torture, rape: the abuses of Wagner’s group cannot go unanswered,” she wrote on Twitter.

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are only two examples of terrorist groups on the EU list.

Estonia and Lithuania already decided to include PMC Wagner on this list.

All political parties in the European Parliament demanded that the Wagner PMC be designated as a terrorist group back in November. Additionally, the lower house of the Canadian Parliament approved a resolution in late January that asked for the government to formally identify Wagner PMC as a terrorist group.

The Russian Wagner PMC was designated a transnational criminal organization by the US Treasury and State Departments in late January, implying the imposition of further penalties.

The Wagner PMC was designated as an international criminal organization by the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada.