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STORY: MALI / RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
TRT: 2.45
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 12 JUNE 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, Exterior Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, Human Rights Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Flavia Pansieri, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The Mission documented cases of extrajudicial killings, ethnically motivated violence, forced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, illegal arrest and detention committed by Malian security forces as well as further displacement of civilians due to on-going military operations conducted by the French and Malian forces in cooperation with troops from the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). They also confirmed cases of summary executions and extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests and torture, forced disappearances and sexual violence committed by elements of armed groups including the MNLA, AQMI, MUJAO and the MAA, during their occupation of northern Mali.”
4. Wide shot, Human Rights Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Flavia Pansieri, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Girls were forcibly married to members of armed groups in Gao and Timbuktu. On many occasions, these forced marriages reportedly resulted in multiple rapes by members of the armed group, and the marriages lasted no more than two or three weeks, after which the girls were sent back to their families.”
6. Med shot, Spanish delegate
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Flavia Pansieri, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Instances of retaliatory violence committed by the Malian forces and the local population against Tuareg and Arab communities have decreased since mid-March. Nevertheless, the risks of reprisals against these communities remained significant.”
8. Med shot, Eritrea delegate
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Flavia Pansieri Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“We welcome the initiatives of the Malian authorities to address the reintegration of children associated with armed groups. We wish also to acknowledge the commitment made by the Government of Mali on 7 February to respect human rights and International Humanitarian Law in the aftermath of the counter-offensive launched in January 2013; to fight impunity; and to prosecute all perpetrators of serious human rights violations in accordance with international law. Some of these commitments have not yet been sufficiently translated into concrete actions.”
10. Pan right, from Gabon delegate to Qatar delegate
The United Nations says it has documented various incidences of human rights violations committed by the Malian security forces in their operation to defeat rebel forces which had taken control of the northern parts of the country.
Investigations conducted by the UN Human Rights Office revealed that government security forces engaged in extrajudicial killings, ethnically motivated violence, forced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, illegal arrest and detention.
UN Deputy Human Rights chief, Flavia Pansieri told the Human Rights Council that forcibly married girls who were later subjected to multiple sexual rapes in the cities of Gao and Timbuktu.
“The Mission documented cases of extrajudicial killings, ethnically motivated violence, forced disappearances, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, illegal arrest and detention committed by Malian security forces,” said Pansieri, presenting her report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Girls were forcibly married to members of armed groups in Gao and Timbuktu. On many occasions, these forced marriages reportedly resulted in multiple rapes by members of the armed group, and the marriages lasted no more than two or three weeks, after which the girls were sent back to their families,” she added.
Pansieri said there were also reports of recruitment and use of children by all the armed groups in the north of Mali.
The UN Human rights office says commitment undertaken by the Malian government in the aftermath of the military operation in the north to fight impunity and prosecute all perpetrators of serious human rights violations, has not yet been sufficiently translated into concrete actions.
The Human Rights Council is expected to appoint an Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali during its current session to support the Government of Mali in dealing with human rights challenges.
