TRT: 01:20
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT OHCHR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 6 FEBRUARY 2023, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
SHOTLIST:
FILE – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
6 FEBRUARY 2023, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk deplores the expulsion of his representative from Mali. We are deeply disturbed by and deeply regret the Malian authorities’ decision to declare the top UN Human Rights representative in the country as persona non grata. The High Commissioner is very troubled by the intimidation and harassment our representative, Guillaume Ngefa, has faced in social media in recent months. We call on the interim authorities in Mali to rescind this regrettable decision without delay. Measures of collective punishment – including punitive forced evictions and house demolitions – are expressly prohibited under international humanitarian law and are incompatible with international human rights law. The United Nations has long maintained that the doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to personnel of the United Nations. It is contrary to the obligations of Member States under the UN Charter, including those concerning the privileges and immunities of the UN and its staff. Human rights are integral to peacekeeping. We urge the authorities to create a respectful, safe and enabling environment for human rights work in Mali, which is more crucial than ever in the current context. We urge the Malian authorities to ensure better respect for and protection of human rights defenders. No one should face reprisals for speaking out on human rights issues.
RECENT, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. Wide shot, exterior, Palais Wilson
STORYLINE:
A spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office said, “The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk deplores the expulsion of his representative from Mali.”
Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, made the following statement on the expulsion of the representative from Mali.
“We are deeply disturbed by and deeply regret the Malian authorities’ decision to declare the top UN Human Rights representative in the country as persona non grata” Shamdasani said.
“The High Commissioner is very troubled by the intimidation and harassment our representative, Guillaume Ngefa, has faced in social media in recent months” she added.
“We call on the interim authorities in Mali to rescind this regrettable decision without delay” she said.
“The United Nations has long maintained that the doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to personnel of the United Nations. It is contrary to the obligations of Member States under the UN Charter, including those concerning the privileges and immunities of the UN and its staff,” Shamdasani said.
She continued, “Human rights are integral to peacekeeping.”
She added, “We urge the authorities to create a respectful, safe and enabling environment for human rights work in Mali, which is more crucial than ever in the current context.”
Shamdasani concluded, “We urge the Malian authorities to ensure better respect for and protection of human rights defenders. No one should face reprisals for speaking out on human rights issues.”
