| On COVID 19 In Morocco Jails
Amnesty Cites Press Muzzling As UN Guterres No
Answers
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Periscope, song,
II
UN GATE, April
16, updated – On
Western
Sahara, Inner
City Press has
repeatedly
asked UN
Secretary General
Antonio
Guterres, his
spokesmen and
Communications
chief Melissa
Fleming
about sexual
harassment
charges
against his Special
Representative
Colin Stewart,
which it has
exclusively
reported as
credited here
and even here.
Inner City
Press has also
repeatedly
asked the UN
about the situation
of Sahrawi and Rif
political
prisoners
in Morocco, with
renewed
urgency now
amid the COVID-19
pandemic. No
answers at
all.
On April 16, the
day after
Inner City Press
got an answer
about Morocco
from the IMF
at its now
virtual Annual
Meeting, here,
and in transcript
here,
Inner
City Press put
the question
to a panel
convened by
Amnesty
International.
It asked, "Q:
Is there any
specific
information on
the situation
of Sahrawi
prisoners in
Moroccan
jails? More
generally, do
you think
funding, like
that announced
by the IMF,
should
encourage or
be conditioned
on better
treatment
including amid
COVID-19 of
detainees,
including what
were referred
to as 'common
criminals'?
Thanks."
Inner City
Press orally
added a
question about
the UN's
performance,
given the lack
of an envoy
not only on
Western Sahara
but also on Libya
(which also
arose), after
the resignation
of Ghassan
Salame.
Amnesty's
Philippe
Nassif,
advocacy
director for
the Middle
East and North
Africa,
replied that COVID-19
has been as a
pretext
for muzzling
the press, and
to expect a
report from Amnesty
soon. Amnesty
activist and
Center for
Human Rights
in Iran board
member
Nazanin
Boniadi spoke
movingly about
situation in
Iran, where there
have been
prison riots
and 38
were recently
killed. Inner
City Press had
hoped for a
response about
Salame (and
the UN) from
Randa
Slim in Lebanon. Maybe
next time.
Watch this
site.
Meanwhile,
UNSG Guterres
has refused to
answer the
Press' questions
about COVID-19 in Moroccan
jails,
like Ksar el Kbir, and
the UN's
busses in South
Sudan,
and even UN Security's
gym
in UNHQ,
and on
August 30, 2019
denied
Inner City
Press access
to the UNGA week he
let dozens of
Moroccan
state media
into as he and
Fleming
continue
the ban on
Inner City
Press
supported by a
frivolous
complaint filed
against Inner
City Press'
coverage from
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout. On
Sept 16, see
"prayer" video
here.
On
April 9
amid the
Coronavirus
pandemic in which
Saharawi
political
prisoners are
still
trapped in
Moroccan jails,
the UN Security
Council met even
more secretly
than usual;
Belgium, to
which Inner
City Press
directed a question,
did not answer.
But the
Morocco state
media which
Guterres accredits
to the UN and
his spokesman's
bogus
briefings while
banning Inner
City Press
lied,
according to
South Africa
Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs
spokesperson
Lungu
Ngquelele: "an
article that
was published
online in
‘mapnews.ma’,
which
translated
into English
is the
‘Moroccan
Press Agency’,
has put out a
misleading
report on
South Africa’s
and indeed the
United Nations
Security
Council (UNSC)
recent debate
on the
occupied
territory in
the Western
Sahara.” That
these state
media lie is
obvious - but
Guterres'
role in
orchestrating
colonial
lies, from
Western Sahara to Cameroon,
and censoring
and banning independent
Press and
refusing its
questions, needs
better
coverage, and
answers. Watch
this site.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
Past (and future?)
UN Office: S-303,
UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047,
Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
|
,
