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At UN, Internet Blocking is Dodged, Uzbek Defense and Myanmar "Vote Yes" Sidestepped

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, April 30 -- While most of the UN press corps was focused on all-day Security Council meetings, on South Sudan and Western Sahara, the UN Spokesperson's office dodged and mis-answered a number a questions, including in the run-up to press freedom day, a question about Internet censorship.

            At Wednesday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked three questions, none of them accurately answered. From the transcript:

Inner City Press: You mentioned the Global Compact and this Board meeting tomorrow.  It turns out when you use the computers here at the UN, there’s a site called GlobalCompactCritics.net, which criticizes the Global Compact and sort of gets blocked, it can’t actually be viewed inside the UN system.  So I wonder.  I know previously you'd said that the blocking of websites is something the UN out-sources to some company, which I don’t have the name of the company, but can you comment on the appropriateness of the UN blocking access to a website that I guess is critical of its work but doesn’t contain pornography, gambling or any of your other [no-no's]?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I’m not aware of this issue so we'd have to look into it for you.

   Later in the briefing, and to the transcript, was added: "[The Deputy Spokesperson later said that the website had not been blocked.]"

            But this is not the case. GlobalCompactCritics.net remains blocked. Inner City Press e-mailed this information to the Spokesperson's office, and received this reply, from the Deputy Spokesperson:

Global Compact says they got back to you on this already. The website you mention has two addresses. You can get into http://globalcompactcritics.blogspot.com

            But the question was about GlobalCompactCritics.net, the URL that is actually promoted. In fact, from the Global Compact's director, Inner City Press initially heard this:

"Regret that I can't help you on that one. I just don't know. Have been on the road the past two weeks. I do know, however, that whatever the UN does or does not do is surely imperfect. My e-mail account is overflowing with porn and other idiotic information. It is a real drag."

            Later on Wednesday afternoon, after Inner City Press asked the question at the noon briefing, from a Global Compact staffer the following arrived:

"only the domain globalcompactcritics.net is blocked. Checking back with ITSD, I received the following response from the help desk:

'Filtering of websites is outsourced to our vendor, Secure Computing. According to Secure Computing globalcompactcritics.net has been categorized as a site known for spamming or relaying spam.  That is the reason why the site is blocked since it poses a threat to corporate networks, not for its political stance. We have submitted a support request to Secure Computing asking them to investigate and re-evaluate the categorization of this site.  This process normally takes 24 to 48 hours.'"

            Which is to say, site are blocked and then, if a persistent person asks about them, they are re-investigated. But the Spokesperson's office in this case mis-represented the facts: the URL asked about remained blocked, they referred publicly to some mirror URL, which is not the one promoted to the public.

BAN and Russian businesspeople, corporatization critics not shown (blocked)

            Speaking of press freedom, when Inner City Press last week asked if Miroslav Jenca was being given the Central Asia diplomatic post, the Deputy Spokesperson said there was nothing to say on the matter, including on the question if the selection had been competitive including a short list. On Wednesday Inner City Press asked:

Inner City Press: Now that you've confirmed the nomination of Miroslav Jenca to head the Central Asian Regional Diplomacy Centre, he’s quoted on Uzbekistan's governmental website as having said that criminal elements participated in Andijo[n] and there were no demonstrations and he hoped that investigations would reveal organizers and felons who'd be punished.  I’m not sure he actually said that but that is on the governmental website.  Is there some way to get, now that he’s been given his post, his view of this important issue in Central Asia, did he say that or not?

Deputy Spokesperson:  I don’t know if he said that after his appointment or before his appointment but we can certainly look into that for you.

            After the briefing, Inner City Press sent the Spokesperson's office this link. Then came this reply: "Jenca's appointment has yet to be approved by the Security Council. He has not formally started with us."

            Perhaps that's for the best, if he's a repression-supporter. Others say he may have been mis-quoted. All that is sought is the truth -- including, before the Security Council decision.

Finally, there was a question about Myanmar, which was responded to with platitudes:

Inner City Press: There are some reports from Myanmar that in some advance voting on this constitutional referendum, that people are being forced to vote 'yes.'  These are media reports.  I’m wondering if the UN is aware of it and what Mr. Gambari or anyone else in the UN system has to say about this?

Deputy Spokesperson:  No, I don’t have anything.  We don’t have any first hand information on these reports.  And again, our position is that, what is important for the United Nations is that the Government honor its stated commitment to a free and fair process.

            But the article is clear: the elderly are being forced to vote yes. This is how things work at the UN, and Inner City Press had decided for now to report daily, to try to make this for-the-record. To be continued.

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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

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