The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations (AFUO) is renewing calls for Australia to declare Russia a terrorist organisation, following the Latvian Foreign Minister’s request earlier this month for Australia to support a terrorist state designation for Russia.
In a meeting with Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, Edgars Rinkevics said the sanction was necessary in light of the war crimes and genocide being committed by Russians in Ukraine.
The Latvian Foreign Minister’s calls are echoed by the U.S. Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Ukrainian Parliament.
“We have already written to the Australian Government urging it to declare the government, armed forces and FSB of the Russian Federation as terrorist organisations. This would ensure a visa ban for members of the Russian armed forces or intelligence agencies; and prevent Australian entities from engaging in trade with Russia and directly/indirectly funding Russian terrorism,” said Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM, AFUO Co-Chair.
“We are urging people to sign a petition to declare the Russian government, armed forces and security service as terrorist organisations, which we will present to the Australian Government” he said.
“What sort of state fires over 3,000 missiles into towns and cities, causing 14,300 civilian casualties, including the death of 6,300 people and 358 children, and the destruction of 31,000 civilian facilities? What sort of state commits numerous executions, rapes and torture during its illegal invasion and occupation of another country? What sort of state occupies nuclear facilities, and holds Ukraine and the rest of the world to nuclear blackmail?” he added.
Click here to sign a petition to declare the Russian government, armed forces and security service as terrorist organisations.
Photo credit: Ernests Dinka, Saeimas Kanceleja.
