In a statement, a dozen specialists said officials from the Russian-owned mercenary outfit had been “promising pardons for criminal sentences to inmates who join the group and take part in the battle in Ukraine, as well as a monthly payment to their relatives”.

According to experts who are a part of the Working Group on the use of Mercenaries, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Wagner is believed to have recruited Russian and foreign inmates serving prison sentences and other Special Rapporteurs.

The independent experts claimed that Wagner recruiters had informed them of pressure techniques, implying that recruitment procedures occasionally involved intimidation or threats.

According to reports, recruiters from the group, in certain instances, prevented captives from speaking with their families and attorneys, “which could amount to, or subject them to, enforced disappearance.”

Press-ganged

“Reports that recruited prisoners were allegedly taken to a detention facility in the Rostov region for training before being sent to Ukraine, and that they were transferred to Ukraine without identification documents and required to sign a contract with the Wagner Group, are reported to have been deeply disturbing,” the experts appointed by the Human Rights Council said.

They said, “We are especially concerned that the Wagner Group has expanded its recruitment to prisons in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.

Prison recruits reportedly worked on a variety of tasks, including “providing military services, rebuilding infrastructure, and taking direct part in hostilities on the side of the Russian forces” in the parts of the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, according to reports.

Alleged transgressions

In the context of the continuing armed conflict in Ukraine, “Wagner Group recruits are accused of having participated in human rights and humanitarian law crimes, including enforced disappearances of Ukrainian soldiers and commanders arrested,” they claimed.

The experts continued, “We are concerned about claims that recruited convicts are frequently threatened and mistreated by their superiors.

“According to our information, several recruits have been executed for trying to flee and, in other instances, have been gravely hurt in public as a deterrent to other recruiters. They claimed that such actions amounted to war crimes and human rights violations.

The experts emphasised that governments must regulate and oversee private military and security companies operating within their borders, including personnel employment.

Obligation to safeguard

The experts stated that the Russian government is responsible for maintaining the highest level of caution to protect inmates from abuse, exploitation, and intimidation.

They continued that governments must forbid individuals and businesses from exploiting inmates’ vulnerability for financial gain.

The Wagner Group, owned and operated by tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the Russian government have received the experts’ worries regarding these charges.

Independent experts and special rapporteurs work on their own accord. They are not employed by the UN and are not paid for their job.