AFGHANISTAN: AFGHAN WIDOWS RALLY IN KABUL TO DEMAND THE RELEASE OF KIDNAPPED ITALIAN AID WORKER CLEMENTINA CANTONI.

Record ID: 215532

  • Title: AFGHANISTAN: AFGHAN WIDOWS RALLY IN KABUL TO DEMAND THE RELEASE OF KIDNAPPED ITALIAN AID WORKER CLEMENTINA CANTONI.
  • Date: 26th May 2005
  • Summary: (BN08) KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (MAY 26, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. PAN: POSTER OF ITALIAN HOSTAGE ON A WALL, WIDOWS PROTESTING. 0.09 2. CU: WIDOWS WEARING BURQA AND HOLDING POSTERS OF ITALIAN HOSTAGE, DEMAND HER RELEASE. 0.14 3. CU: A WIDOW HOLDING PHOTO OF HOSTAGE. 0.19 4. CU: BANNER READING: "RELEASE CLEMENTINA" 0.22 5. PAN: MORE OF WI
  • Embargoed: 10th June 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
  • Country: Afghanistan
  • Reuters ID: LVAC7TXBVIGCYS1LS7XMOONJDKA0
  • Story Text: More than 100 Afghan widows rally to demand the
    release of kidnapped Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni.



    More than 100 Afghan widows rallied in Kabul on
    Thursday (May 26) to demand the release of kidnapped
    Italian aid worker Clementina
    Cantoni, while a United Nations (U.N.) official said
    security measures for its staff were extremely high. "We
    the Widows are ready to sacrifice ourselves if necessary
    for the safe release of the Italian woman," said Shah Jan,
    a widow protesting in the rally. "She was very kind woman.

    She was helping us a lot."
    Clementina Cantoni, 32, a worker for the CARE
    International aid agency, was kidnapped by four armed men
    who stopped her vehicle on a Kabul street on May 16.

    Cantoni's abduction has raised fresh fears among
    Kabul's 2,000-strong foreign community of Iraq-style
    kidnappings by anti-government insurgents or criminals.

    Officials say that they believe her kidnappers are
    criminals, not Islamic militants.

    A U.N. spokesman said the organisation was hoping for
    Cantoni's quick release. U.N. spokesman Richard Provencher
    said: "Having gone through similar episodes with the three
    U.N. staff, that were kidnapped back in November, you know
    we are hoping for something quick, something safe, and
    hoping that she is being treated in as humane as possible
    manners."
    U.N. has alerted their staff to take extremely high
    security measures for the safe of their lives. Provencher
    added: "The security measures remained extremely high. We
    tell all our staff to be extra vigilant when they are
    outside of the offices, outside of working hours ,just to
    go home and stay safe. It is probably the best measure to
    take in order to prevent any of these things or any others
    acts of violence to happen."
    Officials of the Italian embassy and Care International
    have declined to comment on efforts to secure Cantoni's
    release.

    Three foreign U.N. election workers were kidnapped in
    Kabul in October and held for 27 days before being released
    unharmed. Their kidnappers were believed to have been
    criminals linked to a Taliban splinter faction and
    officials initially said Cantoni's kidnappers were
    suspected to belong to the same gang.

    On Monday, hundreds of Italians gathered in the centre
    of Rome to demand Cantoni's release. But the abduction has
    so far failed to galvanise Italians in the way that a
    series of kidnappings in Iraq did.


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