BRICS and the Human Rights Conundrum

This research paper examines the human rights records of the BRICS nations, arguing that there is a significant gap between the human rights protections declared in their constitutions and their actual implementation. The authors express concern that the expansion of BRICS to include more autocratic regimes may create a safe haven for governments seeking to avoid Western-led human rights sanctions while pursuing economic and geopolitical dominance.

• The expansion of BRICS in October 2024 to include Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia has increased the organization's economic weight, with the eleven nations now representing 37 per cent of global GDP and 6 per cent of international reserves.
• There is a systemic contradiction in BRICS member states between constitutional declarations of human rights and practical application. Brazil's constitution emphasizes human dignity and the eradication of poverty, yet the country faces a 'democratic and human rights deficit' characterized by police killings and threats to the rule of law.
• Russia's constitutional framework adopts Western-style individual rights and a 'social state' identity, but the state is accused of constant violations, including the imprisonment of political opponents like Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, and war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine.
• India's constitutional identity as a 'sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic' is contrasted with a declining democratic index and aggressive regional policies, including surgical strikes and airstrikes in Pakistan in 2016 and 2019.
• China's 'socialist state' model is associated with severe human rights abuses, including mass arbitrary detention, forced labour, and 'Orwellian surveillance' of minorities. Internationally, its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is criticized for creating 'debt traps,' such as the 99-year lease of a port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
• South Africa possesses a comprehensive 'Bill of Rights' designed to dismantle the legacy of Apartheid, but implementation is hindered by systemic corruption, xenophobia, and brutal prison conditions. The Zondo Commission (2018) identified 1,438 persons in public and private sectors involved in corruption.
• The new BRICS members exhibit very low human rights indices: Saudi Arabia (0.17), Iran (0.22), UAE (0.35), Ethiopia (0.38), and Egypt (0.25). These nations are linked to unlawful killings, suppression of women's rights, and the persecution of journalists and LGBT communities.

APA

Bawa, T., & Kourbeles, A. J. (2024). BRICS and the Human Rights Conundrum. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/brics-and-the-human-rights-conundrum

Chicago

Bawa, Tejvir, and Apostle J. Kourbeles. BRICS and the Human Rights Conundrum. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/brics-and-the-human-rights-conundrum.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bawa |first1=Tejvir |last2=Kourbeles |first2=Apostle J. |title=BRICS and the Human Rights Conundrum |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=3 December 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/brics-and-the-human-rights-conundrum |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bawa2024brics, author = {Bawa, Tejvir and Kourbeles, Apostle J.}, title = {{BRICS and the Human Rights Conundrum}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://afripoli.org/brics-and-the-human-rights-conundrum}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }