As
UN Sends Staff to Kyrgyzstan, Rights Report Author Still Banned
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 17 -- After the Kyrgyz Parliament voted to bar entry by
Kimmo Kiljunen, the author of a report on the ethnic violence in that
country, the UN on May 26 told Inner City Press that it wasn't
their
report, “that’s really a matter for the Kyrgyz authorities and
Mr. Kiljunen.”
Meanwhile
two UN
staffers from the Policy and Mediation Unit of the UN Department of
Political Affairs headed to Kyrgyzstan this weekend, Inner City Press
has learned.
When
Miroslav
Jenca, special representative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for
Central Asia, emerged after briefing the UN Security Council midday
on Friday, Inner City Press asked him about Kyrgyzstan, Kiljunen and
his report.
Standing
with two
aides, Jenca told Inner City Press that he has been pushing for
“implementation” of the report's recommendations. He spoke
about presidential elections, and said the UN Department of Political
Affairs is involved in this as well, but will not be “too”
involved.
“So, not like
in Cote d'Ivoire?” Inner City Press asked. Both of Jenca's aide
laughed. Jenca himself said said there's discussion of allow Kiljunen
in to have a dialogue with the Parliament -- but that has not
happened yet.
After the violence in Kyrgyzstan, Ban action not shown
Nor,
it seems, has
Jenca or the UN done anything about the December 2009 murder in
Altamy, Kazakhstan of Kygyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk, who was
thrown from a sixth story window with this legs and arms bound. The
Kazakh police are now saying it was mere robbery. Where is the UN on
this?
* * *
As
Kyrgyzstan
Bans
Kiljunen, UN Ban Has No Comment, Sri Lanka Report
Echoes
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May
26 -- The UN's relationship with reports on ethnic
violence and war crimes under Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gets more
and more convoluted.
On
Thursday,
Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted to
ban from the country Kimmo Kiljunen, the Finnish author of an
independent report on last year's ethnic violence from entering the
country, saying his findings were a threat to national security.
Inner
City Press
asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky if Ban or the UN had any comment
on Kiljunen being barred from entering Kyrgyzstan. Nesirky began by
emphasizing that despite “logistic” support, Kiljunen's was not
a UN report. He then said the report could be useful.
If
the UN thinks
the report could be useful, Inner City Press asked, why no Ban
Ki-moon reacting to its author being banned from the country?
Nesirky
said
again, there would be no comment.
To
some,
this
is similar to Ban's reaction to date to the Sri Lanka war
crimes report that, under pressure, he commissioned from a Panel of
Experts. While a recommendation was that Ban initiate an
investigative mechanism, Ban immediately said that he cannot or will
not do this without a vote by the General Assembly, Security Council
or Human Rights Council.
It
has been pointed
out that the investigations are possible without such votes, for
example in the case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mapping
Report. Nesirky told Inner City Press he would respond to this
comparison, but has not.
It
emerged this
week that Ban has not even transmitted the Sri Lanka report to the UN
in Geneva.
Now,
on another
report -- albeit one further removed from the UN -- Ban has no
comment on the report's author being banned from the country.
From
the
UN's
May 26 transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
on Kyrgyzstan, this Kimmo Kiljunen.
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
Kiljunen, Kiljunen, yeah.
Inner
City
Press:
okay, however said, he is now being blocked from the
country. The Parliament has voted to bar him because of his report
on the violence that was in Kyrgyzstan. Given the UN’s role, you
know, and stated… he said that the UN sort of supports his report. Is
that true and do you have any comment?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well,
first of all, you know, let’s be clear that it was
not a UN report. Some technical, logistical advice was provided to
Mr. Kiljunen and those who put together the report. It’s an
important step in the right direction. Again, talking about the need
for accountability for actions that took place and crimes that were
evidently committed last year in Kyrgyzstan.
Inner
City
Press:
but does the UN, if you are thinking it’s a useful
thing, what about this, the country now seeking to bar the author of
the report. Is that --
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well,
that’s really a matter for the Kyrgyz authorities
and Mr. Kiljunen. I don’t have any comment on that.
