UN DPI
Censored
French Role in
Rwanda
Genocide,
Revives Under
Gallach, Evicting
ICP
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
3 -- The UN
Department of
Public
Information
assert it has
the right to
censor not
only
particular
journalists
(Under
Secretary
General
Cristina
Gallach told
Inner City
Press it is
photographing
the wrong
things, and is
set to evict
it on April 6)
but also some
member states'
exhibits.
Inner
City Press
covered this,
when DPI with
an assist from
the UN Office
of Legal
Affairs
censored out
France's role
in the Rwanda
genocide, see here.
Inner
City Press was
already a UN
"Resident
Correspondent"
at that time -
now, after
ever more
detailed
reporting,
Gallach has
cut Inner City
Press'
accreditation
to
"non-Resident
Correspondent,"
and has used
UN Security to
oust and
harass Inner
City Press so
it can't
conduct
interviews
about French
bestiality in
the Central
African
Republic.
(Inner City
Press told
Gallach about
these impacts
but she
insists on
pursing the
eviction, see
below.)
With
Gallach in
charge of DPI,
the censorship
of exhibits
has revived,
Israeli
ambassador
Danny Danon
complains
today of the
contemptible
censorship
enacted by the
UN." Inner
City Press has
asked fo rmore
information;
it previously
asked Danon
about Ban
Ki-moon throwing
out the
critical
Press, letting
it all hang
out in his
last year.
We'll have
more on this.
Amid a litany
of rape
charges
against UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous, Inner
City Press
exclusively
obtained and
on February 12
published UN
emails showing
another round
of sexual
abuse of
minors in
Ouaka
prefecture in
the Central
African
Republic by UN
Peacekeepers
from the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo. Click
here to view.
On March 31,
after being
Banned first
from accessing
the UN
Security
Council
stakeout about
the new rapes
including
bestiality by
UN and French
"peacekeepers"
in the CAR,
Inner City
Press informed
the official
responsible
for these
restrictions,
USG Cristina
Gallach.
Inner
City Press,
Banned from a
gaggle where
other
reporters
spoke with an
Ambassador
Inner City
Press until
Gallach's
February 19 no
due process
order was
routinely able
to speak with,
tried to
explain to
Gallach the
impact of her
order, audio
here.
But
Gallach,
previously the
spokesperson
for Javier
Solana,
maintained she
will continue
the restricted
accreditation,
and didn't
respond to the
fact that it
is her order
that leads to
these
restriction,
and even to
the actionable
physical
ouster of
Inner City
Press with
honchos of her
partner in
censorship
UNCA standing
ready to film
and laugh.
We'll have
more on this.
At the March
31 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City
Press: what I
wanted to ask
is this...
given that
this is a
high-profile
consultation
of the
Security
Council, why
is the glass
door to the
Security
Council locked
and the guard
didn't allow
me through the
turnstile?
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew, I'm…
today I'm
taking a
vacation from
your access
issue.
On April 1,
assuming
Dujarric was
over his paid
vacation,
Inner City
Prss asked
again, UN
transcript
here:
Inner City
Press: I'd
asked you
yesterday
about the
glass door to
the Security
Council being
locked during
the
consultations
and being
denied the
ability to be
waved through
the… the
turnstile.
But, you said
you were on
vacation.
I wanted to
ask you what
happened after
that, because
it's deeply
troubling to
me. When
I finally got
through, when
I finally got
through, I
went down the
ramp, and one
of the… one of
the
ambassadors
was
speaking.
I set up with
my tape
recorder and
was told I
have to
leave.
I…
Spokesman:
Matthew, if
there's…
Inner City
Press:
This is very
serious,
because I am
not able to do
my work.
Spokesman:
Matthew, if
there is an
issue, before
you tweet
about it,
before you try
to physically
open the door,
walk into the
MALU office
and ask for
them to… ask
for them to
ensure that
the security
guard lets you
through.
If there's any
issue, the
proper place
to deal with
it is MALU.
Inner City
Press: I asked
you something
very
specific.
Even once
through, even
once through
the gate…
Spokesman:
If there
is. If
there is an
issue…
Inner City
Press: Well,
then where is
MALU when they
locked the
door?
Why are the
doors being
locked?
Spokesman:
Maybe just go
in. You
have
everybody's
phone numbers.
Inner City
Press: I
have a
question. I
have a
question.
Spokesman:
I'm done
[beginning to
walk off]
Inner City
Press:
You're not
done.
Spokesman:
I am done
[walking away]
Inner City
Press: I
guess you're
done.
This is
today's UN.
We'll have
more on this.
On
March 31,
after being
Banned from
the stakeout
as the Council
met about new
rapes in CAR,
Inner City
Press
belatedly
entered. After
outgoing UNSC
President
Gaspar Martins
read Press
Elements,
Inner City
Press began to
ask him about
the
allegations
again the
French
Sangaris
force,
including
bestiality.
To cut
off Inner City
Press'
question,
Agence France
Presse's
Carole Landry
said,
"Journalists
first." Video
here.
Landry
is on the
executive
committee of
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
which headed
by Giampaolo
Pioli has
lobbied UN
official
Cristina
Gallach to
oust Inner
City Press
from its
shared office
and from the
UN. But should
Gallach be
partnering
with a group
that tries to
shout down
others, or
call them
non-journalists,
at the
stakeout?
After Pioli on
March 24 came
to the Council
stakeout and
four times
called Inner
City Press an
"a*hole," audio
here,
nothing was
done. Pioli
was present on
March 31 but
apparently
stood behind
"enforcer"
Landry of AFP.
Here
was the UN's
belated spin,
hours after
USG Gallach's
eviction order
- and after
Inner City
Press ran into
Burundi's
Ambassador
Albert
Shingiro in
the UN lobby -
since it does
not have
access to its
long time
office- and he
spun Burundian
troops' good
behavior:
"On Friday 25
March the
United Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA)
announced that
it had
received new
allegations of
sexual
exploitation
and abuse that
had taken
place between
2013 and 2015
by UN and
non-UN
personnel, as
well as by
local armed
groups, in the
Kemo
prefecture of
the Central
African
Republic.
Further
information
was also
provided by
the
Spokesman's
Office on
Monday, 28
March.
A MINUSCA-led
integrated
team comprised
of Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services
(OIOS), Human
Rights, Child
and Women’s
Protection,
Conduct and
Discipline,
UNICEF, UNFPA
and UNHCR
travelled to
the area and
is now on the
ground. The
exact number
and nature of
these
extremely
troubling
allegations
are still
being
determined.
The team has
identified the
contingents in
question as
those provided
by Burundi and
Gabon.
Allegations
made against
the French
Sangaris
forces in the
same area are
also being
investigated.
[Bestiality.]
More
information
will be
provided as it
becomes
available."
, 
