UN
Half-Speaks
on Detained
Staff in
Myanmar, Quiet
on Ethiopia
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 29 --
After UN
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
brought up the
UN's work in
Myanmar at
Friday's noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press
asked him
about reports
that
authorities
there detained
six UN system
staff
and six
members of
Medecins Sans
Frontieres.
Nesirky
said he
would respond
quickly with a
prepared
statement, and
in fairness he
did:
The
UN
Resident
Coordinator in
Myanmar has
already
reported to
Government
that some UN
staff members
were detained
by the
authorities in
Rakhine State
for
questioning.
The UN is
still trying
to get access
to these
staff, and out
of concern for
their privacy,
the UN has
decided not to
release any
personal or
professional
information
about
any detained
staff. The
Resident
Coordinator
has asked the
Government
for
information
about each
detained staff
member, making
reference to
the 1946
Convention on
the Privileges
and Immunities
of the UN. The
UN is still
awaiting a
formal reply.
It
is a formal
answer,
understandable
perhaps given
the desire to
simply get
them
freed. But,
for example,
the UN has
stayed quiet
about its
Security
staffer in
Ethiopia who
was first
convicted, and
then sentenced
to
eight years.
A
week ago on
Friday, June
22 Inner City
Press asked
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:
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
a week later,
nothing.
Sometimes
could silence
be consent?
We'll retain
an open
mind. Watch
this site --
and this
Twitter
timeline.
, 
