The BBC has collected testimonials from Afghan citizens on their country’s troubled election. A university student says he survived an encounter with the Taliban only to find a corrupt policeman at his polling place who “asked me to give him my card so that he can vote for me.” He ended up not voting.

Baseer Farahi on the BBC:

I was going out to vote. On my way to the polling station I stumbled across a group of Taliban. They stopped me and asked me where I was going. I said I was going to the doctors. They said, no, you are going to vote and we’ll cut your finger off if you do that.

Still, I went to the polling station, where a policeman asked me to give him my card so that he can vote for me. I didn’t. I saw the dishonesty and decided against risking my finger.

Read more

WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG