“Human rights activists from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are appealing to their leaders to use their influence to press Syria to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to U.N. agencies,” the Associated Press reports. Leaders from the so-called BRICS countries are meeting this week in Durban, South Africa, the news agency notes, adding, “BRICS countries oppose foreign intervention in Syria and accuse the West of forcing regime change. Russia, China and South Africa have vetoed U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria” (3/25).

“‘As they meet in Durban, the BRICS countries should demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Syria and take meaningful steps to address their plight,’ more than two dozen individuals, primarily from these five countries, said in a joint letter to BRICS leaders,” the Press Trust of India/Business Standard writes. “We urge to them to make a public appeal to President Assad to grant the U.N. unimpeded humanitarian access so that it can reach civilians from across all Syria’s borders; anytime and anywhere,” the letter continued, according to the newspaper (3/26). A news article on the Human Rights Watch website notes, “Since the BRICs countries expressed ‘deep concern’ at the situation in Syria at the summit meeting a year ago, the death toll in the Syrian conflict has increased from 9,000 to more than 70,000” (3/26).