Amnesty International, Ukrainian Association to picket at BRICS Summit
Amnesty International South Africa, the Ukrainian Association of South Africa and the Helen Suzman Foundation are set to picket outside the BRICS summit in Sandton on Tuesday.
South Africa is the host of the 15th BRICS summit.
China's President Xi Jinping, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are expected in South Africa for the annual three-day summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to join remotely due to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him.
The organisations say they will hold a peaceful demonstration outside the Sandton Convention Centre at the start of the summit on Tuesday, calling for an end to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Amnesty International South Africa’s Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter.
"The Russian government is not only violating international humanitarian and human rights law in its war of aggression against Ukraine but its crackdown on people in Russia who are speaking out about the invasion goes against the rights to freedom of expression and assembly which South Africa and its constitution pride itself on.
“We are calling on world leaders attending the BRICS summit to uphold human rights by demanding that Russian authorities stop the act of aggression against Ukraine and end attacks on civilians now. They must also call on the Russian authorities to stop violating people’s right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in their own countries,” said Mohamed.
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