A displaced Ukrainian mother, together with her 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son, will address a rally tomorrow outside Amnesty International Australia’s Sydney offices to condemn the organisation for failing to retract its widely criticised 4 August press release about Ukrainian military defensive tactics against Russian bombing and shelling.
The rally will be held on Thursday 13 October, at 1pm, Amnesty International, 79 Myrtle Street, Chippendale.
Mariia, with her children Anastasiia and Kira, lived in Bucha when Russian forces occupied their town, and began a reign of terror involving unlawful killings, summary executions, looting, torture, and rape.
All three will speak about what they saw, and how it contradicts the Amnesty International 4 August release.
They witnessed Russian fighting strategies which included hiding military equipment behind residential buildings; concealing tanks in backyards; and shelling Kyiv and Irpin from civilian centres in Bucha. They were shot at while trying to escape in their car; and they grieve for families they knew, who were shot while being evacuated.
The family will demand Amnesty International retract the report and punish those responsible for its production and release.
They will be joined by members of the local Ukrainian-Australian community, the Ukrainian Sydney rallies group, who have been protesting outside the Sydney offices of Amnesty International Australia for more than 2 months seeking answers.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) has also held meetings with Amnesty International Australia to demand action.
On 12 August, Amnesty International Australia announced the International Board would be conducting a review about the report and press release, but there have been no further announcements. Amnesty International continues to feature the press release on its website.
The Amnesty International release was widely condemned for getting the law wrong about defensive operations in urban warfare; failing to conduct a proper investigation; ignoring the expertise of the local Ukrainian Amnesty International office; and not taking into account the reality that Ukrainian armed forces are attempting to defend civilians from Russian attacks on residential buildings, hospitals, shopping centres and playgrounds.
Photo Credit: EPA-EFE/MIKHAIL PALINCHAK
