On
Ethiopia, Inner City Press
Asks UN About State of
Emergency, UN Cites Itself,
Which It Censored
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Photos
and video
UNITED NATIONS,
February 19 – With a new state
of emergency declared in
Ethiopia, where the UN has a
large regional office, Inner
City Press on February 19
asked UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' spokesman
Farhan Haq about it, and got a
mere reference to other,
hardly audible UN calls on the
topic. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: I wanted to
ask about the six‑month state
of emergency announced in
Ethiopia and whether the UN,
which has a major office
there, what they think of
recent developments there, if
they're concerned, and what
especially they think of this
new state of emergency.
Spokesman: I mean, the
basic point is, of course, we
have concerns about basic
freedoms, so we want to make
sure that all of the freedoms
of expression, of peaceful
assembly, and others will
continue to be
respected. Regard… you
know, regarding the extension,
you've seen what we've had to
say about the situation in
Ethiopia over the course of
the previous months, and our
concerns… our previously
expressed concerns about the
treatment of all communities
still applies." In fact, far
from speaking out the UN has
even been censoring when the
Press asks questions about
Ethiopia, a Security Council
member. In September
2018 with the UN Security
Council presidency for
September being taken over by
Ethiopia's Tekeda Alemu, Inner
City Press on September 1
asked Ambassador Alemu four
questions, including on
Burundi (on the Council's
agenda) and the Oromo
Protests, a major human
rights issue. Video
here.
But
when the UN Department of
Public Information wrote up
the press conference, it did
not even MENTION Burundi, much
less the Oromo protests. See
UN document here.
What is wrong with UN DPI, a corrupt
UN Department which spends
$200 million a year in public
funds, but doe not even has
any rules, content neutral or
otherwise, on how it accredits
and/or restricts
the independent press which
covers the UN? Where is the
new head of DPI, Alison Smale?
In response to Inner City
Press asking why Burundi,
where even the UN says there
is a risk of genocide, is not
on his September Program of
Work nor on the agenda of the
Council's visit to Addis
Ababa, Alemu on September 1 -
not covered by the UN - said
that you can't compare Burundi
to Central African Republic,
that Burundi has “strong state
institutions.” But it is that
very “strength,” which some
say the country shares with
Ethiopia, and with until
recently military-ruled
Myanmar about which Inner City
Press also asked, that has led
to the human rights
violations. In this context,
Inner City Press asked Alemu
about the Oromo protests - and
crackdown - in his country. He
diplomatically chided Inner
City Press for not having
asked in private, saying that
social media has played a
dangerous role. Perhaps
Haq was referring all the way
back to October 2016, when
Inner City Press also asked,
under Guterres' predecessor. On
October 17, 2016
when Inner City
Press at the UN
noon briefing
asked Ban
Ki-moon's then
seemingly outgoing
spokesman Stephane
Dujarric about the
widely reported
restrictions on
media and
diplomats in
Ethiopia, Dujarric
had no comment. He
told Inner City
Press he might
have something in
the afternoon.
Then, after going
out to lunch,
Dujarric sent out
this:
“In response to
questions asked at
the noon briefing
on Ethiopia, the
Spokesman said the
following:
The
Secretary-General
has been following
the developments
in Ethiopia with
concern, including
the declaration of
a state of
emergency
effective 8
October. We are
aware of the
latest reports
about new measures
being imposed and
are looking at the
available
information. The
Secretary-General
urges the
authorities to
ensure the
protection of
fundamental human
rights. He
reiterates his
call for calm and
restraint and
calls for
inclusive dialogue
to resolve all
grievances.”
Was this
what Inner City
Press was told to
wait for? There
weren't questionS
- Inner City Press
asked the only
question on the
topic at the noon
briefing, as
Dujarric
repeatedly cut it
off (after, along
with Ban and his
head of “Public
Information”
Cristina Gallach,
ousting and
evicting Inner
City Press, and
now confines
it to minders
preventing
coverage of many
UN meetings.
Maybe this is one
reason Ban's UN
can't bring itself
to criticize media
crackdowns
elsewhere. On
October 18, Inner
City Press asked
again. Video
here.
***
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
2006-2018 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
for
|
,
