UN / AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS VIOLENCE

A special report released today by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) describes the severe impact of election-related violence on civilians, mainly coming from the Taliban’s deliberate campaign of violence and intimidation to disrupt Afghanistan’s presidential election. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:24
• Production Date: 15 October 2019
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN - UNAMA
• Subject Topical: ELECTIONS
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN
• MAMS Id: 2474125
• Parent Id: 2474125
• Alternate Title: unifeed191015f

Description

STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS VIOLENCE
TRT: 1:24
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 15 OCTOBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior

15 OCTOBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Turning to Afghanistan, the UN Mission there released today a special report describing the severe impact of election-related violence on civilians. Most of the violence is coming from the Taliban’s deliberate campaign of violence and intimidation to disrupt Afghanistan’s presidential election. UNAMA’s findings indicate that attacks targeting the electoral process caused 458 civilian casualties (85 people killed and 373 injured). This includes 277 civilian casualties, including 28 killed and 249 injured, on 28 September, alone. That’s polling day. More than one-third of civilian casualties were children.”
4. Med shot, reporters
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, United Nations:
“The report not only documents the harm to civilians caused by the Taliban’s violent offensive to disrupt the election, but also highlights a pattern of abductions, threats, intimidation and harassment carried out by the Taliban against civilians leading up to and during the elections.”
6. Med shot, reporters

Storyline

A special report released today (15 Oct) by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) describes the severe impact of election-related violence on civilians, mainly coming from the Taliban’s deliberate campaign of violence and intimidation to disrupt Afghanistan’s presidential election.

Briefing reporters in New York, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, “UNAMA’s findings indicate that attacks targeting the electoral process caused 458 civilian casualties (85 people killed and 373 injured). This includes 277 civilian casualties, including 28 killed and 249 injured, on 28 September, alone. That’s polling day. More than one-third of civilian casualties were children.”

The report not only documents the harm to civilians caused by the Taliban’s violent offensive to disrupt the election – leading to more than 80 per cent of the election-related civilian casualties documented in the report – but also highlights a pattern of abductions, threats, intimidation and harassment carried out by the Taliban against civilians leading up to and during the elections.

According to the UN Mission, warning civilians of an intention to attack election sites does not release the warning party of its obligations under international humanitarian law. Furthermore, acts or threats of violence intended to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited under international humanitarian law.

According to international human rights law, everyone has the right to take part in public affairs, to vote and to be elected to government without discrimination and without unreasonable restrictions. All citizens – whether voters, candidates or election-related staff – have the right to be free from fear and intimidation at all stages of an election process.

UNAMA’s special report on 2019 elections violence makes numerous recommendations to enhance efforts to reduce the potential risk of harm to civilians in election periods.