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STORY: OHCHR / MALI BELARUS
TRT: 03:28
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
DATELINE: 17 JULY 2020 ,GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020 ,GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2.SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Amid continuing tensions in Mali, where there has been a series of anti-government protests in recent weeks, we urge the authorities to ensure that security forces refrain from resorting to unnecessary or excessive force in policing demonstrations or otherwise interacting with protesters. We are particularly concerned in light of events in the capital, Bamako, last Friday and over the weekend when special forces Les Force spéciale antiterroriste - FORSAT are reported to have fired lethal ammunition during clashes with demonstrators. The Human Rights and Protection Division of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has confirmed that at least 14 protesters – including one woman and two boys – were killed and 154 others injured.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The announcement by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta that there will be investigations into the violence is welcome. It’s essential that all alleged human rights violations and acts of violence committed during the demonstrations are the subject of prompt, thorough, transparent and independent investigations and that those responsible are held to account.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
5.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We call on all sides to exercise utmost restraint and use peaceful means to deal with their grievances, which have been triggered by a variety of factors, including the outcome of delayed parliamentary elections, alleged endemic corruption and weak governance, heightened insecurity and violent extremism in different parts of the country. We are also concerned that since the demonstrations on 10 July there has been a proliferation of fake news and messages online inciting violence which risk heightening tensions further.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
7.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
8.SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“We remind the authorities of their obligations to support, and not impede, the work of the national human rights institution and civil society organisations which play an important role regarding the promotion and protection of the human rights of everyone in Mali.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
9.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“At the end of a week which has seen further mass arrests during demonstrations in Belarus, we call on the authorities to ensure full respect for the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
11.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
17 JULY 2020, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Belarus has the duty to facilitate peaceful assemblies and to uphold the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including by those who may be expressing dissenting views and support for opposition candidates. In addition, journalists wanting to cover the protests should not be prevented or obstructed in their work, and subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, given the important role they play in imparting information on matters of public interest and thus the right to access such information. We call for all those detained simply for exercising their human rights who are still in detention to be released, and for fair trial and due process guarantees to be met in relation to any criminal or administrative proceedings that may be instituted against them. We remind the authorities that undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association may undermine the credibility of the upcoming electoral process.”
FILE – RECENT – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
14.Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said, “amid continuing tensions in Mali, where there has been a series of anti-government protests in recent weeks, we urge the authorities to ensure that security forces refrain from resorting to unnecessary or excessive force in policing demonstrations or otherwise interacting with protesters.”
Speaking to reporters via video today (17 Jul) in Geneva, OHCHR’s Spokesperson Liz Throssell said, “we are particularly concerned in light of events in the capital, Bamako, last Friday and over the weekend when special forces Les Force spéciale antiterroriste - FORSAT are reported to have fired lethal ammunition during clashes with demonstrators. The Human Rights and Protection Division of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has confirmed that at least 14 protesters – including one woman and two boys – were killed and 154 others injured.”
According to OHCHR, during the protests, at least 200 people were arrested. All had been released by the evening of 13 July, pending trial. Among them were three leaders of the Mouvement du 5 juin Rassemblement des Forces Patriotiques (M5-RFP). This is a coalition of political parties, religious leaders and civil society organizations formed in the aftermath of a rally on 5 June during which protesters called for the president’s resignation, as well as the dissolution of parliament and the constitutional court.
Throssell also said, “the announcement by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta that there will be investigations into the violence is welcome. It’s essential that all alleged human rights violations and acts of violence committed during the demonstrations are the subject of prompt, thorough, transparent and independent investigations and that those responsible are held to account.”
According to OHCHR, in line with its mandate, the MINUSMA Human Rights and Protection Division has launched a fact-finding mission to examine allegations of serious human rights violations perpetrated in connection with the protests.
Many of the demonstrations taking place across the country were peaceful, but there were incidents of protesters destroying and looting private and public properties, including ransacking part of the National Assembly building. One group occupied the premises of the national radio and television station, taking it off air.
Throssell said,“we call on all sides to exercise utmost restraint and use peaceful means to deal with their grievances, which have been triggered by a variety of factors, including the outcome of delayed parliamentary elections, alleged endemic corruption and weak governance, heightened insecurity and violent extremism in different parts of the country. We are also concerned that since the demonstrations on 10 July there has been a proliferation of fake news and messages online inciting violence which risk heightening tensions further.”
She reiterated, “we remind the authorities of their obligations to support, and not impede, the work of the national human rights institution and civil society organisations which play an important role regarding the promotion and protection of the human rights of everyone in Mali.”
On Belarus, according to information from various NGO and media sources, over 300 people, including a dozen journalists covering the protests, were detained by police during protests on 14 and 15 July.
Throssell said, “at the end of a week which has seen further mass arrests during demonstrations in Belarus, we call on the authorities to ensure full respect for the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”
According to OHCHR, the demonstrations in Minsk and several other towns followed the refusal of the electoral commission to register two opposition candidates for the presidential election, which is due on 9 August.
Since the end of May, several hundred people, including human rights defenders, journalists and bloggers, as well as passers-by, have been arrested during peaceful gatherings across the country, often by riot police using unnecessary or excessive force. Demonstrators have been calling for free and fair elections.
Throssell also said, “Belarus has the duty to facilitate peaceful assemblies and to uphold the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including by those who may be expressing dissenting views and support for opposition candidates.”
She continued, “in addition, journalists wanting to cover the protests should not be prevented or obstructed in their work, and subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, given the important role they play in imparting information on matters of public interest and thus the right to access such information.”
The OHCHR’s spokesperson said, “we call for all those detained simply for exercising their human rights who are still in detention to be released, and for fair trial and due process guarantees to be met in relation to any criminal or administrative proceedings that may be instituted against them. We remind the authorities that undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association may undermine the credibility of the upcoming electoral process.”
