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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 12 –After Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 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 spokesman Stephane Dujarric. On March 11, US Congress member Eliot Engel representing The Bronx as well as parts of Westchester and now Chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Congress wrote, “Dear Assistant Secretary Nagy:  In advance of your upcoming trip to Cameroon, I am writing to you out of concern for Maurice Kamto, President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement and former candidate for the Cameroonian presidency.   As you know, Mr. Kamto was arrested on January 28, 2019, and is currently being held in the maximum security Kondengui Central Prison, a location which has drawn international criticism for harsh conditions and overcrowding.     His arrest and subsequent hearing deferrals are part of a much wider trend of criminalizing dissent and persecuting President Biya’s perceived enemies.  Moreover, Mr. Kamto is but one of hundreds of political prisoners in Cameroon who could soon be facing the death penalty, which is indicative of a rapidly contracting space for free speech and political opposition.  I appreciated your March 4th interview on Radio France Internationale, in which you stated that the Cameroonian government should release Mr. Kamto due to the perception that he has been incarcerated for his political actions. I hope that you continue to challenge the merits of his arrest with President Biya and other government officials during your time in Cameroon.   In your meetings, I hope that you also raise the fact that the Government of Cameroon has clearly violated the rights of Mr. Kamto and other political prisoners to assemble freely and express and disseminate their opinions, which are encapsulated in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, which Cameroon ratified three decades ago.     As you served in Cameroon earlier in your career, you may share my alarm at the country’s current trajectory – with the brewing insurgency in the Anglophone region, the ban on protests and public demonstrations following the flawed October 2018 election, and the mass arrests of protestors and journalists in January 2019.  I commend Ambassador Barlerin’s leadership in addressing these issues during this challenging time and hope that the United States can work effectively with partners in Cameroon, the rest of Africa, and in Europe to secure a better future for the Cameroonian people.  Thank you for your attention to this important matter.  Sincerely,  Eliot L. Engel." On March 8, when the UN was bragging about International Women's Day while refusing for example to answer Press questions about the rapes by Cameroonian "peacekeepers" in CAR, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Amina J. Mohammed, Alison Smale and Stephane Dujarric: "March 8-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the holding over of barrister Michele Ndoki, whom the government previously shot, on charges like Maurice Kamto of 'rebellion'?" More than a day, no answer at all. The impact of the golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors continues - #DumpGuterres. On March 1 after the Nigerian federal high court sitting in Abuja declared illegal and unconstitutional the deportation of Ayuk Tabe and 46 others from Nigeria to Cameroon in January 2018, Dujarric who refuses questions from Inner City Press he has banned took a fake question from one of his favorites, who said "Anglophones did some shooting" - and said NOTHING about the new ruling. The refoulement took place with Guterres' Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed there, and joining in censorship since. We'll have more on this, and this:  Azanwuli Chikere, a member of the panel which heard the case, said the Nigeria federal government lacks the power to deport refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria. Ruling on an application filed by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, the court awarded N5 million damages to each of the applicant and also ordered the government to ensure the Cameroonians are brought back to Nigeria.  Among those deported were Julius Tabe, Nfor Nfor, Fidelis Che, Henry Kimeng, Awasum, Cornelius Kwanga, Tassang Wilfred, Eyambe Elias, Ojong Okongho and Nalowa Bih. Amid Guterres' shameful silence, in Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto on February 27 argued he cannot be tried in a military court - the UN seems fine with this - while supporters were held over in Kondengui prison until at least March 19. Meanwhile Guterres' UN system and affiliates, in a system that like a fish rots from the head, lavish praise and money on Paul Biya as he burns villages and takes untold money to his hotel in Geneva. It has gone beyond the money the Secretariat is raising for Biya - now the World Bank is shoveling in money for a dubious dam project: "The Cameroonian President authorized last February 22 the economy minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to sign a loan agreement with World Bank’s subsidiary, the International Development Association (IDA), for an amount of €24.5 million, or XAF16.3 billion." How much will go for Biya's hotel bills in Geneva, paid in cash? The UN World Health Program's Matshidiso Moeti praised Biya on, if it can be believed, health while Biya is in fact killing people. Shesaid she "was touched when the Minister of State 'told me that when we train health personnel we need to tell them not only to be efficient and knowledgeable but also to treat members of the public with kindness and compassion.'" Paul Biya and compassion? That's like Antonio Guterres false claim to care about and comply with freedom of the press. Doctor, heal thyself.

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