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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UN GATE, Sept 24 –After Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 37 years on January 28 had his opponent Maurice Kamto arrested, Inner City Press again asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his spokesmen for their comment and action, if any. This came after Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on 3 July 2018 after it interviewed Biya's Ambassador about the two men's Budget Committee deals and banned from the UN since - Guterres even tried to get Inner City Press banned from the Park East Synagogue, here, which was denied / dodged by his French spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who put up then took down a podcast in which he brags about his "mutually assured destruction" relationship with journalists, here.

  On September 18 and again on September 23 Inner City Press submitted to Guterres, Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming, among others, questions about Guterres' and the UN's failures on Cameroon, see below. None were answered; Guterres has banned Inner City Press from the UN for 448 days amid these questions. But there's a protest at the UN gate, and others in Nigeria and Canada. And Guterres has no comments on these. He is corrupt.

Inner City Press asked: "September 23-1: On Cameroon, what are the comments and actions if any of the SG and DSG Amina J. Mohammed on the continued detention of opposition leaders, and the protest(s) scheduled for the front of the UN? Given that Guterres is meeting with the Foreign Minister this evening, please confirm this means that Biya is not coming and summarize any reasoning provided for it." No answer.

"September 18-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's belated comment and action if any after the golden statue and Fifth (Budget) Committee deals with Tommo Monthe on that in a memorandum issued by Kamto and Co from the Yaounde Central Prison, the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party says it will not participate in the Major National Dialogue if some conditions are not meted out, amongst which the release of its President, leaders, allies and sympathisers.  “The CRM cannot take part in this Major National Dialogue without the prior release of its National President, Professor Maurice Kamto, leaders of the political party and allied organisations, as well as militants and sympathisers of the CRM arbitrarily arrested and illegally detained."

   More than 14 hours later, no answer at all, even as Guterres held a pathetic "press" conference at which Cameroon was not mentioned once. He and his enablers are corrupt.

  After Paul Biya's scam speech Inner City Press in writing asked Dujarric and Guterres and his new Global Censor Melissa Fleming, "September 13-1: On Cameroon, again on the question you have refused to answer or allowed to be asked in the UN Press Briefing Room, given that Paul Biya's speech which SG Guterres immediately praised reiterated threats to crush "separatists" and denied that any marginalization has taken place, while leaders have been given life prison sentences, what is the meaning of Guterres' praise - now that Ayuk Tabe on whose refoulement from Nigeria the SG and DSG stayed silent has said Biya's "speech was a non-event and a non-starter"? Who worked on this UNSG statement - Francois Lonceny Fall? Rosemary DiCarlo? Had the Biya regime given the UN any heads-up? And again, where is the if-asked information about the Cameroon UN peacekeepers child rape in DRC?" No answer at all.

Inner City Press as of September 14 is being banned by Guterres and Melissa Fleming from covering the UN General Assembly, presided over by Nigeria's ambassador Tijjani Muhammed-Bande. We'll have more on this.

Inner City Press live tweeted the shameful May UNSC session and uploaded Guterres' envoy Francois Fall's failing statement here.

  More here.

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