Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

UN Won't Comment on Barred NGOs, Waits for Suu Kyi Verdict and Sudan's Lash to Fall

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 28 -- While the UN often says it is open to "civil society," most often represented by non-governmental organizations testifying before UN bodies, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's associate spokesperson had no comment on Tuesday about the exclusion of two such groups, the Arab Commission for Human Rights and the Dynamic World Christian Mission, based on complaints by Algeria and China.

Spokesman Farhan Haq told Inner City Press, "I don't have any particular comment about those decisions, which are, as you know, decisions taken by Member States. The Member States in ECOSOC have the power to take decisions about consultative status."

But Ban and the UN do criticize member states, rightly, for decisions they have power over. When Sudan expelled thirteen foreign NGOs, the UN spoke loudly. (Not so in Sri Lanka). Even on Tuesday, when Inner City Press asked about the upcoming flogging of a female UN staff member in Sudan for daring to wear pants, Haq said that the "UN Mission in Sudan, for which she works as an employee, has been following up and they have been providing her with legal support. Having said that, if this penalty is actually carried out, we may have something more to say at that point."

The UN has expressed vague concern about the flogging slated for Wednesday, but will for some reason withhold further comment until after the lash falls. Similar when Inner City Press asked about Myanmar's upcoming verdict in the case against opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, slated for Friday, Haq said "we may have something further to say once there is a verdict."

UN's Ban in Geneva, disbarred NGOs and top officials not shown

Judicial proceedings and the sensitivities of judges were evidence by a long-delayed correction that Haq read out in the briefing:

And last, I would like to make a correction for the record with regard to a statement that the Spokesperson made at the noon briefing on 30 March 2009. In the questions and answers, while discussing the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the Spokesperson stated that some of the allegations of corruption that had been made in connection with that institution concerned Cambodian judges. That was incorrect. I’d like to note that the Spokesperson made a further statement the following day, 31 March, which clarified that the allegations of corruption concerned officials on the Cambodian side of the Administration of the Extraordinary Chambers and not the judges.

I would like to reiterate that the confidential Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) review concerns allegations of corruption among officials on the Cambodian side of the Administration of the ECCC. We have no information to suggest that there has been or is corruption among any of the judges of the ECCC, nor information that would suggest that the ECCC judicial process is in any way prejudiced by corruption.

Question: I was wondering, why did you make this correction after such a long time? You’re talking about a statement in March, and we’re in July.

Associate Spokesperson: That’s a good question. We did make a clarification, like I said, the following day, 31 March. But in response to concerns about the initial error, we were asked to make this particular correction, so we did that.

Inner City Press: When you say you were asked, you were asked by whom?

Associate Spokesperson: I’m not sure, but this was prepared in coordination with our Office for Legal Affairs.

Back in March, Inner City Press at a press conference tried to ask the head of OLA, Patricia O'Brien, about irregularities with the Cambodia tribunal. Ms. O'Brien refused to answer the question, saying that her briefing that day was only about the UN's Lebanon tribunal, and stating memorably that she acknowledged no responsibility to come and give any further press briefings. Since then, more than four months ago, she had not given a single press conference. Inner City Press most recently asked for one in connection with her trip to Kenya about Somali piracy.

Footnote: there are mounting reasons why officials of this UN are dodging Q &A. Inner City Press has asked for a briefing by the head of the UN Development Program Helen Clark, now in the job for 100 days. Inner City Press asked Ms. Clark's spokeswoman Christina LoNigro, when will Ms. Clark give a briefing. This canned answer was provided on Tuesday afternoon: "Helen Clark speaks to journalists regularly and looks forward to engaging with journalists in the UN press corps."

But when? On her 100th day, Clark reached out to media in her native New Zealand. When asked for a briefing for the press corps where Ms. Clark's office is, the UN in New York, UNDP has tried to handpick who could do an interview, blaming the lack of access on the August slowdown. For Ms Clark, it's been one hundred days and counting. The former UNDP-er who now the head of Political Affairs for the Middle East, Oscar Fernandez Taranco, ducked the press on Monday. For the head of OLA, it's been more than four months...

At UN, Arab Commission for Human Rights Out for Year in 18-0-1 Vote, Member List Demanded

UNITED NATIONS, January 28 -- Algeria's terrorism complaint against Rachid Mesli, the human rights advocate who spoke for the non-governmental organization Arab Commission for Human Rights at the UN in Geneva last June, resulted on Wednesday in the group's suspension from the UN for one year. Click here for previous coverage by Inner City Press.

By a vote of 18 in favor and one abstaining, the group will also be required to turn over a list of all of its "members and associates" before it can be considered for reinstatement. We hope this sets an example, Algeria's representative said after the debate and vote, in the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs. But what sort of example does it set?

Mesli has been granted refugee status in Switzerland. He was accused of terrorism in 1999, in a trial criticized by Amnesty International. Most countries on the UN's Committee on NGOs said that a conviction in any member state is enough to establish guilt. While neither Algeria nor the UN's head staffer for the Committee, Hanifa Mezoui, would agree to release to the Press any part of the complaint, Inner City Press obtained a copy of Algeria's January 14 letter and attachments, and puts them online here. Egypt called this the product of "a competent court whose verdict is unquestionable."

Egypt ultimately made the proposal that a list of all members and associates be provided. The U.S. said it did not oppose such forced disclosure, but wanted more evidence of Mesli's guilt. The US agreed that the Arab Commission for Human Rights should be sanctioned for allowing Rachid Mesli of the separate, unaccredited group Alkarama, to testify in its place.

The United Kingdom, which had initially expressed reservations, ultimately voted in favor of the punishment. After the vote, the UK's representative said it "seems heavy-handed."

Guinea, on the other hand, in the run-up to the vote said that the punishment should be more harsh. India said that "the UN must respect each member state" and the verdicts its courts reach. One wondered if Pakistan clearer those charged with involvement in the recent Mumbai bombings, if India would respect such a verdict.

While the U.S. belatedly spoke of due process, it has in the past bounced groups from the UN over the objections of other states. A game of chicken took place on Wednesday morning, with the US Mission, now under Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton and Susan Rice, seeming not to want to stand alone in voting no, or even to call for a vote. Sensing weakness, Egypt and Cuba pointed out that unless a member asked for a vote, it would be adopted by consensus. Ultimate the U.S. did call for a "recorded vote, for the record." The US was informed that the roll call would do just as well. And then it went 18 in favor, none against, and the lone abstention.

Footnote: Debate moved on to a Brazilian gay and lesbian group, which a number of states including Qatar implied is involved in pedophilia. The contrasts was marked, with the same states who opposed any delay in suspending Arab Commission on Human Rights asking for more and more information about the gay advocacy group, and saying no vote should be taken until all the questions were answered. And so it goes at the UN.

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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