The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) condemns the murder of an election observer in Afghanistan and urges the authorities to bring perpetrators to justice.

Shaheed Ali Naqi, a youth member of the Afghan Civil Society Forum Organization (ACSFo), was reported to have been abducted by the Taliban a few days after the 28 September 2019 Afghan Presidential Election and was later found dead.

Shaheed, a short-term election observer, was completing election observation efforts when he was abducted. He was one among thousands of election observers deployed for the recently concluded presidential poll.

Another election observer has been reported killed, along with other cases of election-related violence against election observers during the 2019 polls including the abduction and assault of election observers of ANFREL members in Afghanistan, the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) and the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA).

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), meanwhile, has recorded 85 election-related killings and 373 injuries during the election.

While ANFREL is saddened to hear of election observers killed and many others harassed and injured in performing their task of ensuring a clean and honest election, we strongly condemn any acts of election-related violence and enjoin everyone to protect and uphold human rights.