Amid
Meles
Memories,
Ban's Silence
on Jailing of
UN Staff &
Press to End?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 21 --
The confirmed
death of
Ethiopia's
Meles Zenawi
will surely
give rise at
the UN to a
moment of
silence in the
General
Assembly and
more.
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon named
Meles Zenawi a
co-chair on
climate change
and
Sustainable
Development,
and Inner
City Press has
praised his
role in
advocating for
additional
funding
for Africa.
But
in terms of
the UN, it
must be noted
that it never
answered and
seemingly
never followed
up on issues
like the
arrest and
seven year
sentencing by
Meles Zenawi's
government of
its own UN
staff member
Abdulrahman
Sheikh Hassan,
nor the arrest
and sentence
of journalists
for even
covering the
conflict in
Ogaden.
Back
on December
27, 2011,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
Spokesperson's
Office:
"In
Ethiopia, now
the EU has
joined others
in denouncing
the 11 year
sentences for
two
journalists
who were
covering the
war in Ogaden.
Now does the
UN have any
comment,
despite or
more
appropriately
because the
Secretary
General put
Ethiopia's
leader atop
one of his
Sustainable
Development
panels? When
did the S-G
last speak
with Meles
Zenawi? Did
the S-G raise
this issue?"
At 5:15
pm on December
27, Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson's
office told
Inner City
Press, "On the
Swedish
journalists,
we don't have
any comment at
the moment but
if that
changes we'll
let you know."
But nothing
has since been
said. On
June
22, 2012 Inner
City Press asked Ban's
lead spokesman
Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City Press:
the case in,
in Ethiopia
where a UN
staff member
was found
guilty of
terrorism for
having met or
allegedly met
with the
Ogaden
Liberation
Front. You
said that the
UN was asking
the Government
for
clarification...
Now
Abdulrahman
Sheikh Hassan
has been
sentenced to
seven years in
prison. Did
the UN get any
clarification
from the
Government and
is the UN
lodging any
protest at the
imprisonment
of its own
staff member
for speaking
to a rebel
group?
Spokesperson
Nesirky: We’re
obviously
aware of these
reports, and
if I have
anything
further beyond
what was said
on Monday,
then I’ll let
you know.
But
two months
later,
nothing. Inner
City Press asked at
the time:
sometimes
could silence
be consent?
And might this
pattern now
belatedly end?
Will these
issues, and
those of
Eritrea and
others, be
part of the
(other) media
coverage?
Watch this
site.
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