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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A, NY Post

UNITED NATIONS GATE, June 4 – The UN's introduction of cholera into Haiti, killing tens of thousands of Haitians and injuring a million more, has arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court. A cert petition recently filed states, first on the facts then on the the law, that

"the United Nations spread cholera throughout Haiti by taking 1,075 peacekeepers from Nepal (where cholera was rampant) and deploying them to Haiti, a nation that had not seen a case of cholera in more than 100 years. App. 11. The UN never tested its Nepalese peacekeepers for the presence of the disease and constructed inadequate sewage facilities on a tributary of a major river used for bathing, cooking and drinking water. Cholera spread quickly. It is estimated that  8 10,000 people died and approximately 1 million were sickened as a result of the UN’s actions."

   On the law the cert petition states:

"Throughout this case, Petitioners believe there has been a reflexive reaction on the part of governments, the courts, and others to pre-judge—to decide, without proper consideration, that the UN is immune, despite the Organization’s own express agreement to be liable and acceptance of responsibility for the damages it has wrought. As a result, there has never been a hearing in open court to consider the issues at the heart of this case, and arguments by Petitioners as to the nonexistence of UN standing claims commissions—or any other binding forum for the adjudication of claims—have been ignored by both the district court and the Second Circuit. Put simply, it has never been explained to the Petitioners by any court how the UN can assume a liability that is enforceable nowhere."

  Inner City Press, now daily covering the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York while banned from any entry into the UN by Guterres, will be in writing asking the UN about this cert petition, on which amici are soon to be heard from. Watch this site, @InnerCityPress and now @SDNYLIVE.

  When Haiti's President Jovenel Moïse spoke in the UN General Assembly on 27 September 2018 he referred clearly to "le cholera introduit par la MINUSTAH" - the cholera introduced by MINUSTAH, the UN Mission in Haiti, here. But when the UN of Antonio Guterres put on its website a purported summary of Moise's speech, it contained no mention at all of cholera, here. Call it the ultimate white-wash under Guterres, who has also banned from UNGA, and from the UN as a whole apparently for life, Inner City Press which accompanied and covered the UN Security Council's most recent trip to Haiti and interviewed some of the many victims of the UN. Inner City Press emphasized Guterres' failure on accountability for bringing cholera to Haiti to the Sept 23 New York Post, here.

  On February 10 amid "unrest" in Haiti that canceled flights Guterres' Mission there issued this: "It is with profound sadness that the United Nations has learned of the deaths of four people as a result of a road accident involving a public transportation vehicle and a UN Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) that occurred tonight, in Canape Vert, a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. According to the preliminary information, one Haitian citizen and eight UN police officers who were also injured in the accident are being treated.     The Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) in Haiti, Helen La Lime, presents her condolences to the family of the victims, and her sympathies to the injured. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and wish to present my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased as well as express my sympathies to the injured,” indicated the SRSG.      “I have requested that the circumstances of the accident be thoroughly investigated,” added the SRSG." Yeah - just like the cholera the UN brought. Guterres' UN has no credibility. On November 21 banned Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres and his spokes- / hatchet-man Stephane Dujarric: "November 21-3: On Haiti, what is the SG's comment and action on that “at least eight deaths have been reported in clashes between protesters and police since the protests began on Sunday. Demonstrators have demanded that the president resign for not investigating allegations of corruption."  Twenty eight hours later, nothing - and Guterres apparently having left town, again, without any disclosure...The International Monetary Fund after a visit to Haiti on June 20 announced that “the IMF welcomes the government's intention to eliminate fuel price subsidies." And on July 6 after the government announced price increases of 38 percent to 51 percent for gasoline, diesel and kerosene, protests broke out. Protesters were shot and killed by police in the Delmas area of the capital and elsewhere. On June 14, Jack Guy LafontantJack Guy Lafontant resigned as Haiti’s prime minister. This two days after the UN Security Council, which has yet to ensure any recompense for Haitian families harmed by the cholera the UN brought killing 10,000 people, said on July 12 -- when Secretary General Antonio Guterres neither mentioned nor was asked about Haiti in his Press-less press conference (Inner City Press remains UNjustly banned from the UN but asked the IMF about it, here). The UN banned Inner City Press, so it could not ask the question on July 16. Fox News story here ("UN roughs up, ejects, bans reporter from headquarters: Caught on tape"); petition to Guterres here; GAP blogs I and II (“Harassment of US Journalist Intensifies at the UN”).  Guterres through Alison Smale made it a lifetime ban on August 17, with no due process.  On July 16, while awaiting the "investigation" the UN promised, Inner City Press e-mailed Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, "Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned, after civilians were killed protesting fuel price subsidy cuts. Again, that is the comment of UNSG and the UN Mission, given what the UN has done there including by introducing cholera and not paying reparations of any kind?"
First there was no answer - Haq couldn't have been busy, with Inner City Press banned there were only four questioners in the day's noon briefing. So Inner City Press asked again, cc-ing Guterres' Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and his Communicator Alison Smale, among others. Haq replied, "your email has been received and we are following up on answers." But by the end of the day, as Inner City Press covered a court hearing about convicted UN bribery Ng Lap Seng, nothing.

  This is a project for the Free UN Coalition for Access, @FUNCA_info. Watch these sites and feeds.

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