UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 6 –
Inner City Press on July 5
was banned from entering the
UN, the day after it filed a
criminal complaint against
UN Security for physically
removing it from covering
the meeting about the UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' $6.7 billion
peacekeeping budget, as
witnessed and essentially
cheered on by senior UN
official Christian Saunders,
tearing its reporter's
shirt, painfully and
intentionally twisting his
arm and slamming shut and
damaging his laptop. On
August 17, Guterres' Global
Communicator Alison Smale
issued a letter banning
Inner City Press from the UN
- for life. With no due
process. She and Guterres
have put the UN in the US
Press Freedom Tracker, here.
Smale said,
again, that the UN would
answer Press questions to
the Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric and his Office; Dujarric said the same on
camera.
On February 6,
before a briefing days after
Dujarric took a question
on Cameroon
from the
correspondent
who previously said "the Anglophones did some
shooting today,"
and
when Dujarric
said "we" and
Guterres will
be back from
AU on Feb 12 having
left Feb 6,
Inner
City Press submitted 486 questions
"There are more than 300+
questions UNanswered.
While appreciating
and using what was sent on
January 29 after it was
read out in the briefing
room, no answers on Dec 17
or 18 or 19 or 20 or 21 -
another FIVE days in a
row, even as SG's direct
conflicts of interest and
failure to disclose
emerge, and a newest low.
While appreciating the
lone read-out answer sent
on Jan 7, nothing on Dec
24 or Dec 26 or Dec 27 or
Dec 28, or January 2, 3 or
4 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or
14 or 15 or 16 or 17 or 18
or 21 or 22 or 23 or 24 or
25 or 28 - that was
FIFTEEN week-days in a
row, apparently under
orders, then a simple
post-facto answer. Now
what? No answers on
January 30 nor 31 nor
February 1 nor 4 nor
5. No answers at all
during those four days
of the US v Ho trial
showing corruption in
the UN says it all.
This ban is just
censorship - and Inner
City Press must be
allowed back into the
noon briefing to ask
its questions in
person and follow up
on them.
February 6-1:
On Cameroon, what is
the SG's comment
action on that 14
people have been shot
dead at Bole Market
this morning, 20km
away from Kumba, on
the Kumba-Ekondo Titi
road. "The soldiers
arrived using live
bullets and many had
to escape for safety"
and that dozens of
youths arrested in
Buea today by security
forces?
February 6-2:
On Chad and France,
including in light of
evidence UN NGO China
Energy Fund Committee
offered weapons for
oil to Idriss Deby,
what is the SG's
comment and action on
that The French air
force made strikes in
the East of the
country on Sunday.
French jets have
repelled a rebel
convoy of 40 vehicles
heading towards the
capital of Chad from
Libya, the French
government has said.
Two flights of Mirage
2000 fighter-bombers
hit the column of
pick-up trucks 250
miles into Chad
territory?
February 6-3:
On the USA / NYC, what
is the SG's and UN's
knowledge of, comment
and action on the
conditions at the MDC
Brooklyn jail,
including 50 degree
temperatures, cut off
meetings with lawyers,
limited medical care,
water dripping on
inmates' beds, as
shown in the
SDNY?
February 6-4:
On UN and intimidation
/ bankrupting of
press, what is the
SG's comment and
action on FAO suing
Italian Insider - for
calling FAO's CIO
"piss poor"? And
AGAIN, please
immediately explain
how it is legitimate
to ban from enter into
the UN the media that
has been asking about
these and other
questions, with no
hearing or appeal.
February 5-1:
As you have yet to
respond to in any way
from 3 pm yesterday: "
While your
Administration and
Office of the
Spokesperson have
refused to answer a
single written
question from Inner
City Press in three
work days, and 15
before that, in
contravention of
conventions USG Smale
made to UN Special
Rapporteur David Kaye
and Spokesman Dujarric
made on camera,a
formal questionfor
immediate answer and
confirmation of
receipt
Cameroon Biya's
Minister Delegate of
Justice Momo Jean de
Dieu has on camera
warned that Biya's
opponents "might end
up like 'arrogant'
Jews whom Hitler put
in gas chambers" - his
words. What is the
SG's comment and
action on this? All
other questions
re-iterated, including
what is the SG's
response to the
attached petition from
South Sudan about
(his) peacekeepers
killing two civilians
there?
Please explain how it
is legitimate to ban
from enter into the UN
the media that has
been asking about
these and other
questions, with no
hearing or
appeal.
February 5-2:
On the Office of South
South Cooperation,
what is the SG's
comment and action if
any on whistleblowers'
complaint to Inner
City Press that
Chediek engaged the
services of fellow
Argentine Ms. Cecilia
Milesi, to serve as
Senior Peacebuilding
consultant, despite
the fact that she
lacks prior
substantive experience
working in peace and
development. And by
multiple accounts,
this lack of
experience reflects in
her work. Moreover,
Ms. Milesi likely
taking cue from her
boss,herself engages
in conduct violating
UNDP policy, including
dubious travel on
UNDP's dime, making
personal stops during
official work travel
and charged those
costs to UNDP
resources.
Ms. Milesi also
oversteps her role as
a contractor providing
service to UNDP, to
manage and approve the
recruitment of fellow
Latin Americans, all
of whom were waived
from the UNDP
competitive process
and awarded direct
contracts, to join Mr.
Chediek’s inner
circle. The hiring
process was executed
in a coordinated
family business style,
with Ms. Milesi giving
pointers to her
friends, with whom she
had prior association
who similarly lack the
required experience
for the job?
February 5-3:
Is it the case, as
reported, that Myanmar
is contributing or
getting trained
peacekeepers for the
UN? If so, what
vetting is in place?
Same question about
Sri Lanka now that
Shavendra Silva is
Army chief of
staff.
February 5-4:
On Nigeria, what did
the DSG do there
during her "leave" -
and what restrictions
are in place for the
pro-Buhari campaigning
of Mr. Obasinjo, who
says “I participated
at the United Nations
International Day for
Education, promoted by
the Nigerian Permanent
Mission to the United
Nations... We also
have many Buhari
support organisations
in New York as well.
“We have Buharists in
the United
States"?
February 5-5:
Again, now in the
context of the Pope's
comments in the UAE,
immediately describe
the UN system's role
and financing, in or
out, for 2020 Expo
Dubai and the SG's
view of freedom of
expression and
academic freedom in
the UAE and what the
UN's involvement will
do to advance these -
or not. The Pope in
the UAE called
on countries
throughout the Gulf
region to extend
citizenship rights to
religious
minorities. The
pope called for
"societies where
people of different
beliefs have the same
right of citizenship
and where only in the
case of violence in
any of its forms is
that right
removed."
Citizenship rights in
the United Arab
Emirates are
predominantly reserved
for native-born
Muslims?
February 5-6:
What is the SG's
comment and action now
that the Thai
prosecutor publicly
confirmed the
government has the
power to set Hakeem
al-Araibi free,
regardless of the
extradition
process. On
Monday the 25-year-old
footballer from
Melbourne, a Bahraini
refugee, was remanded
in prison for another
two months after the
Ratchadaphisek
criminal court gave
him 60 days to prepare
a defence to Bahrain’s
extradition request?
February
4-1: On South Sudan, on
which your Office
refused to answer Inner
City Press' questions
last week, what now is
the SG's knowledge of
and comment and action
on that the National
Salvation Front led by
Thomas Cirilo (NAS-TC)
Thursday said its
fighters have repulsed
attacks on its positions
in Yei River Stat during
two days by the
government army adding
that the ceasefire is
"technically
dead"?
February
4-2: On Cameroon, what
is the SG's k comment
and action on that the
governent of Paul Biya
banned planned protest
marches in the capital
Yaounde? In terms of
"reform," what are the
costs of UNDP sending a
new Res Rep to Cameroon
after Ms. Baiocchi began
reporting to the DSG?
What did the DSG does
during her leave? What
restrictions were in
place?
February
4-3: On Libya, what is
the SG's knowledge of
and comment and action
on allegations that his
envoy Salame is
declining to send UN to
check on Derna and
impending killings
there?
February
4-4: Please immediately
describe the UN system's
role and financing, in
or out, for 2020 Expo
Dubai and the SG's view
of freedom of expression
and academic freedom in
the UAE and what the
UN's involvement will do
to advance these - or
not.
February
1-2: On DRC and the
killings in and
disenfranchisement of
people in Yumbi, what is
the SG's comment and
action on local
complaints that a report
prepared by the UN
mission in the DRC
(MONUSCO) a week after
the events accuses the
governor Ngobila Mbaka
of having dispatched on
the spot and to from
Kinshasa, police and
army officials (FARDC).
Disguised as civilians,
they would have framed
the Batende in deadly
attacks against
Banunu. Since
then, the report has
been buried by decision
of the MONUSCO leader,
Ms. Leila
Zerrougui.
Testimony of a leader of
local civil society: The
planning of the massacre
would have been done at
the level of the
governorate of the
province. Two teams
formed by police
officers and soldiers
left Kinshasa and Inongo
to join the city of
Mansele inhabited by the
Tiene tribe. The
criminal group from
Kinshasa traveled aboard
the Kebakuni boat, owned
by Ngobila Mbaka,
governor of the province
and leader of the Tiene
tribe"?
February
1-2: On Cameroon, what
is the SG's comment and
follow up action, if
any, on that Kamto is
currently held at the
building of the
Groupement spécial
d’opérations in Yaoundé.
According to his
lawyers, Kamto could be
charged with:
insurrection, hostility
against the homeland,
criminal association,
threats to public order,
rebellion, group
rebellion, and inciting
insurrection,and that
there are currently up
to 200 people, of whom
the majority are MRC
supporters, in detention
following protests on
January 26, and, again,
on the arrest and
detention of journalists
Théodore Tchopa and
David Eyengue Nzima
merely for covering the
opposition gathering in
Douala. Again, what are
the read-outs of his six
conversations with Paul
Biya and most recently
of Francois Fall's visit
there?
February
1-3: On UNMAS please
immediately confirm or
deny what whistleblowers
tell Inner City Press,
that there are over a
dozen harassment,
bullying and abuse of
authorities cases filed
at UN against head of
UNMAS Agnès Marcaillou
and that the cases
came to attention to
head of DPO rule of law
and security ASG
Alexander Zuev and
Under-Secretary-General
for Peace Operations
Jean-Pierre Francois
Renaud Lacroix. Was she
politely asked to resign
but refused to do so?
Confirm / explain her
email: " Today I want to
appeal to those of you
who have shared their
discontent with
colleagues, partners,
inside and outside the
UNMAS/UNOPS circles, to
please not break UNMAS;
what you have work so
hard for; please do not
split the strong and
capable team that has
made UNMAS the worldwide
respected entity it is
today; do not undermine
what most colleagues
have worked so hard for
in the past 6 years that
I have been here with
you. I feel
that there is too much
for UNMAS to
lose!"
February
1-4: On Nigeria AGAIN
please confirm SG's and
DSG's receipt of, and
comment on, the
Coalition of United
Political Parties (CUPP)
and Coalition of
pro-democracy groups in
Nigeria letter to the SG
over President Muhammadu
Buhari’s suspension of
Justice Walter Onnoghen
as the chief justice of
Nigeria and its impact
on any fairness of
elections there. Again,
confirm the DSG's
activities in Nigeria
and any restrictions in
place. Also, relatedly,
what are the comments
and actions of the SG
and separately DSG to
that the police have
been accused of shooting
an unarmed civilian
dead. A video being
circulated shows
two armed police
officers dragging an
unarmed young man
through the street,
before firing at him at
close range?
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