As
Boumedra Says
Kobler Ordered
False Reports
in Iraq, UN Now
Denies
It: Whose
Picture Is
Distorted?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
Aug 22, updated
Aug 23, below
-- Alongside
disputes about
conditions in
Camp
Liberty in
Iraq, there is
a more limited
UN specific
controversy.
What
to make of
the statement
by former UN
Mission in
Iraq human
rights officer
Tahar
Boumedra that
current Special
Representative
of the
Secretary
General
Martin Kobler
told him to
only send out
"positive
photographs,"
and more
troublingly to
"falsify
reports"?
Inner
City Press has
been seeking
direct UN
response to
this
allegation,
from the head
of the
Mission, and
from
spokespeople
in New York,
and
has yet to get
one. [But see
below, Update
of August 23.]
Here's from
the public
interchange at
Wednesday's
UN noon
briefing,
video
here from
Minute 46 --
Inner
City
Press: the
former human
rights
official of
the United
Nations
Assistance
Mission for
Iraq says he
was ordered by
Martin Kobler
to'doctor
photographs
and fabricate
reports.' Is
there a direct
response to
this man – and
he’s described
as a
whistle-blower
–
his claim that
he was ordered
to only take
photographs of
the
positive
things and
essentially
file
inaccurate
reports. Does
the UN
deny that?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: it’s
regrettable
that such a
distorted
picture is
being
presented of
the efforts of
the United
Nations in
Iraq to
resolve
peacefully the
situation of
Camp Ashraf.
And in fact,
the UN
Mission, under
the leadership
of Special
Representative
Martin
Kobler, has
worked
diligently and
impartially to
facilitate a
peaceful
solution that
respects the
rights and
concerns of
both
residents and
the Government
of Iraq...
with regards
to the
conditions in
Camp Houria,
(Freedom),
they have all
the basics
that
they need and
beyond.
kitchens, a
fully equipped
gym, a mosque,
several
community
centres, a
medical centre
staffed by two
Iraqi
doctors
working in
shifts, two
ambulances on
constant
stand-by, and
there’s
bottled water
brought in for
residents,
electricity
from 19
generators,
and residents
have cell
phone,
Internet
connection and
satellite
television.
Inner
City
Press: I'm
even aware
that one
Security
Council member
said
that people
live better
there than in
their own
country – the
country of the
Security
Council
member. But I
just wanted to
know,
because it’s
kind of a
whistleblower
case, he’s
claiming that
he
was ordered to
do things that
he said were
inconsistent
with the UN
Charter and
his duty. Is
there a
response to
sort of, that
he was
told to doctor
these reports?
Whether the
satellite TV
is working or
not is a
separate
question —
but, it’s
strange; I’ve
tried to
get an answer
from Mr.
Kobler and
others. Do
they deny that
these
orders were
given?
Spokesperson:
I think I
would just go
back to what’s
already been
said, and
that’s that it
is a distorted
picture.
But
what
is the UN
saying is
distorted: the
picture of
conditions in
the
camp, or the
claim that a
UN official,
previously in
charge of
human
rights, was
told to
"doctor"
reports?
Kobler
is back and
forth between
the camps. A
knowledgeable
person tells
Inner City
Press that
while Boumedra
WAS UNAMI's
human rights
officer, even
under Kobler's
predecessor Ad
Melkert, he'd
shifted to
become adviser
on Camp
Ashraf.
Is
it acceptable,
if it
happened, for
the UN to
order such an
official
to doctor
reports? We
think not, and
will keep
asking.
Update
of August 23,
11:46 am --
and then this
came in:
Subject:
Re:
Ashraf/UNAMI
fact sheet
From:
Jared Kotler
[at] un.org
Date: Thu, Aug
23, 2012 at
11:32 AM
To: Matthew
Russell Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
Matthew,
You asked
specifically
about
allegations by
a former staff
member of
misleading use
of photos or
“doctoring” of
reports in
connection
with the work
of the UN on
Camp
Ashraf.
We would like
to state very
clearly that
such
allegations
are
false.
Watch this
site.
, 
