President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the group of abetting what he called Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.
Reuters | | Posted by Yagya Sharma
The head of Amnesty International’s Ukrainian branch is leaving the human rights body after the group accused Ukraine’s armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion.
Amnesty made the comments on Thursday and Kyiv likened it to Russian propaganda and disinformation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the group of abetting what he called Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine. The human rights group, he said, was trying to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim.
Also Read| ‘Ukraine putting civilians at risk’, says Amnesty report; Zelensky hits back
Oksana Pokalchuk, national Amnesty leader, said on Facebook late on Friday that the Ukrainian office has consistently noted that the information that Amnesty issued on Thursday should take into account the position of the Ukrainian defence ministry.
“As a result of this, unwittingly, the organization created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives. In an effort to protect civilians, this study became a tool of Russian propaganda,” Pokalchuk said.
“It pains me to admit it, but we disagreed with the leadership of Amnesty International on values. That’s why I decided to leave the organization,” she added.
Ukrainian officials have said they take every possible measure to evacuate civilians from frontline areas. Russia denies targetting civilians in what it describes as a “special military operation”.
-
China lent $21.9 bn in short-term loans to Pakistan since 2018: Report
China has made nearly $26 billion in short and medium-term loans to Pakistan and Sri Lanka over the past five years as its overseas lending shifts from funding infrastructure toward providing emergency relief. Data showing the shift in China’s $900 billion Belt and Road Initiative to loans aimed at easing foreign currency shortages since 2018 was compiled by AidData, a research lab at William and Mary, a university in the US.
-
Snickers apologises after advertisement depicts Taiwan as a separate country
American candy giant Mars Wrigley has insisted it “respects China’s national sovereignty” and apologised after an advert for its Snickers bar referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage on the mainland. “We are aware of reports on Snickers-related activities in certain regions of Asia, take this very seriously and express our deep apologies,” said a Mars Wrigley statement posted Friday on Snickers China’s Weibo page.
-
‘Hyping the threat’: China accuses UK PM contenders of political gains
The rivals to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson are locked in a battle to take the toughest line on China, firmly drawing a line under the vaunted golden era for Sino-British ties. The front-runner in the Conservative leadership race, Liz Truss, has branded Chinese tech giants a security risk, called to arm Taiwan and, in private, labeled China’s crackdown in Xinjiang a genocide, according to reports.
-
Not even superman can fix Myanmar crisis, says Asean special envoy
A regional envoy tasked with brokering peace in Myanmar admitted Saturday that “even Superman cannot solve” the crisis, capping a week of foreign ministerial meetings that ultimately yielded little progress. Read Myanmar’s junta chief wins approval to extend state of emergency Asean special envoy Prak Sokhonn, who has made two trips to Myanmar since the coup, dampened expectations for major progress in the short term.
-
Canada bans import of handguns from August 19
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, currently on vacation in Costa Rica, made the announcement on Twitter: “As of August 19th, the importation of handguns will be banned in Canada. The ban will remain in effect until the national handgun freeze – which will make it impossible to buy, sell, or transfer handguns anywhere in Canada – comes into force.” The restriction will remain in place till the national freeze comes into force.