UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 7 –
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 7,
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
unilaterally
praised
Sri Lanka
which has announced
reimposition of
the death penalty,
Inner
City Press submitted 490 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
nor 6. 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 7-1:
On UN Sexual
Exploitation and
Abuse, please
immediately provide
the additional
if-asked information
about the new case(s)
in CAR by the Serbian
peacekeeper - and the
long requested
information about the
Cameroonian
peacekeepers' alleged
rapes in CAR and
explain why this has
not been provided for
eight weeks. Please
now provide on the new
South Sudan and
3-month old Cameroon
rape cases all further
if-asked information
about these abuses, as
for example you did
when asked in person
by those not banned
from the previous
briefing about the
Nigerian
peacekeeper(s).
February 7-2:
On Cameroon, now that
even the US is cutting
military aid due to
human rights
violations / comments,
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?
Also SG's comment if
any on today's
protests / press
conferences on
Cameroon by the
UN?
February 7-3:
On Sri Lanka and the
death penalty what is
the SG's comment and
action on President
Sirisena saying that
starting in 3 months
drug dealers will be
executed by
hanging.
February 7-4:
On press freedom what
is the SG's comment
and action if any on
that Mozambican
journalist Amade
Abubacar was arrested
on January 5, while
reporting on a trend
of violent attacks on
small villages in
Mozambique's province
of Cabo Delgado? 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 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.
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