WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday positioned a well known Russian paramilitary group on an inventory of non secular freedom violators alongside various infamous terrorist organizations.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduced he had designated the Wagner Group as an “entity of specific concern” for its actions within the Central African Republic. Additionally on the listing are Afghanistan’s Taliban, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Somalia’s al-Shabab and two factions of the Islamic State group.

“Our announcement of those designations is in line with our values and pursuits to guard nationwide safety and to advance human rights across the globe,” Blinken mentioned. “Nations that successfully safeguard this and different human rights are extra peaceable, steady, affluent and extra dependable companions of the USA than these that don’t.”

The Wagner Group is run by a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and its mercenaries are accused by Western international locations and UN consultants of quite a few human rights abuses all through Africa, together with within the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Friday’s designation doesn’t instantly carry U.S. sanctions however opens up these focused to potential penalties for violations of non secular freedom. The Wagner Group and the opposite “entities of specific concern” are already topic to an array of U.S. sanctions.

Along with his designation of the Wagner Group and the others, Blinken recognized China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as “international locations of specific concern” for spiritual freedom violations.

All of these international locations, which Blinken mentioned have “engaged in or tolerated notably extreme violations of non secular freedom,” have been on the listing beforehand.

Blinken additionally put Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam on a “particular watch listing” for spiritual freedom violations, that means they may finally be hit by U.S. sanctions except their information within the space enhance.