Oksana Bidnenko is a staff correspondent for JURIST. She is a Ukrainian law student at the Riga Graduate School of Law in Riga, Latvia, and is currently an exchange student at the University of Oslo, Norway. On March 14, the Lithuanian Parliament unanimously voted in favor of designating the Russian private military company (PMC) “Wagner” [...]
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EU announces additional sanctions against Russia-affiliated paramilitary group
The Council of the European Union Saturday imposed additional sanctions and measures against the Russia-affiliated Wagner paramilitary group for human rights abuses taking place in their areas of operation. This follows previous EU sanctions against the Wagner Group introduced in 2021 over the group’s alleged human rights violations. The Wagner group is a Russian private [...]
The recent inflating of U.S.-China tensions has popped the illusion that Washington and Beijing might be able to limit their antagonism to economic competition, as the scuttling of a high-level diplomatic summit in Beijing over the shooting of a Chinese spy balloon recalls the postponement of an Eisenhower-Khrushchev meeting in 1960 following the downing of [...]
US labels Russia-affiliated Wagner Group 'transnational criminal organization,’ sanctions affiliates
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Thursday announced sanctions against eight individuals, 16 entities and four aircraft affiliated with “transnational criminal organization” the Wagner Group (PMC Wagner). In order to undermine Russia’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine, the sanctions target entities that support PMC Wagner and the production [...]
US condemns Russia-backed paramilitary activity in West Africa
US Deputy Representative to the United Nations Richard Mills Tuesday accused the Russian-backed paramilitary organization Wagner group of exacerbating instability in West Africa in a statement given to the UN Security Council. Accusing the Wagner group of violating human rights, Mills stated: The Kremlin-backed Wagner Group is interfering in African countries’ internal affairs, robbing them [...]
President of Central African Republic orders removal of top judge from Constitutional Court
President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadéra Monday fired the President of the Constitutional Court, Danièle Darlan by presidential decree, local news outlets reported. Presidential decree number 22.454, signed on Monday and promulgated on national radio and television on Tuesday, specifically orders Darlan’s removal from office. At the time of her removal, Darlan was [...]
Alleged Séléka militia group leader pleads not guilty to ICC war crimes charges
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Monday opened a trial against Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, alleged leader of the Séléka rebel group, for crimes humanity and war crimes in violation of the Rome Statute. Said allegedly committed these crimes in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013. Said pleaded not guilty to all charges. The ICC [...]
HRW calls for end to rights abuses against African girls on Day of the African Child
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday urged members of the African Union (AU) to take drastic steps to protect young girls and women. The report was released on the AU’s the Day of the African Child. Among the concerns raised by HRW are child marriage, free education for children, and allowing pregnant girls and young women [...]
USCIRF reports 'significant regress' of religious freedom in Afghanistan
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Monday released its 2022 annual report, which noted “significant regress” in countries such as Afghanistan and the Central African Republic. As part of its report, USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State designate 15 countries as “countries of particular concern” (CPCs), as their governments are involved [...]
ICC takes Central African Republic war crimes suspect into custody
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Monday said that former militiaman Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka (Mokom), who is suspected to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic (CAR), has been surrendered by the Republic of Chad. A warrant for Mokom’s arrest was issued on December 10, 2018, when the [...]