The United States includes Russia's "Wagner", Cuba and Nicaragua in its black list of religious freedoms

On Friday, the United States included Cuba, Nicaragua, and the Russian mercenary group "Wagner" on its blacklist related to religious freedoms in the world, which opens the way for the possibility of imposing sanctions on them.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement published yesterday evening, Friday, to announce the list of violators of religious freedoms, that the Wagner Group was included in the list because of its involvement in violations in the Central African Republic, which witnessed fighting that lasted for nearly a decade between Muslims and Christians.

And last May, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch said that the Russian Wagner Group has executed, tortured and beaten civilians since 2019.

The decision to add Wagner to the blacklist for religious freedoms comes amid speculation that the United States could classify it as a foreign terrorist organization, in part, against the background of Western accusations of its involvement in atrocities during the Ukraine war, at a time when no official decision has been announced in this regard.

Those parties - which Washington has blacklisted - are accused of harassing, threatening, imprisoning and even killing individuals because of their beliefs.

In some cases, Blinken added, these parties stifle individuals' freedom of religion or belief in order to exploit opportunities for political gain.

Blinken emphasized that violations of religious freedoms "sow divisions, undermine economic security, and threaten political stability and peace," and that "the United States will not stand idly by in the face of these violations."

Countries and entities of "concern"

The US report added Cuba and Nicaragua to "countries of particular concern" under the annual determinants, which means that the two left-wing countries in Latin America may face new measures, knowing that they are primarily subject to US sanctions.

Blinken kept all countries on the 2021 list of "countries of particular concern", namely China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea and others.

The State Department said other entities of "concern" include the Somali movement Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, the Houthis, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, the Islamic State in West Africa, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims, and the Taliban.