UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 13
– 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 13,
before a Dujarric briefing
in which
one of
his partners
in censorship
from Al
Jazeera asked
him about
Guterres
standing next
to Bashir in a family
phone but not
about Guterres
MEETING Bashir
while there,
some days
after he took a question
on Cameroon
from the
correspondent
who previously said "the Anglophones did some
shooting today," Inner
City Press submitted 512 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 partial
response to Question
Feb 8-8, 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 nor 7 nor 11
nor 12. 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
13-1: On Cameroon,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the now formal
charges of
"rebellion" against
Maurice Kamto, which
could carry the
death penalty, in
light of what your
Office says Biya's
FM told him in
Addis? Simarily,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the filmed recent
mass arrest of youth
in the Anglophone
regions?
February
13-2: On Sudan and
the ICC, please
immediately deny or
confirm and read out
that " United
Nations
Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres met
with Sudan’s
president on the
sidelines of the
African Union summit
in Addis Ababa, said
Foreign Minister
El-Dirdeiry Ahmed in
a statement released
on Monday. The
meeting of al-Bashir
with Guterres was
reported by the
official news agency
SUNA saying it took
place at the
Sheraton Hotel in
Addis Ababa on the
sidelines of the
32nd Ordinary Summit
of the African
Union." How many
times in total has
Guterres met Bashir
- and any other ICC
indictees?
February
13-3: On Saudi
Arabia and press
freedom, what is the
SG's comment and
action on that a top
Saudi official who
was fired after
being accused of
playing a role in
the killing of
dissident journalist
Jamal Khashoggi
continues to serve
as an informal royal
adviser: Saud
al-Qahtani, who
previously served in
effect as the
right-hand man to
Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman?
What is the status
of the MOU with MBS'
MiSK Foundation of
the SG's Youth
Adviser?
February
13-4: On Thailand
and press freedom,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on that Thailand’s
telecoms regulator
on Tuesday suspended
the operating
license of a
television channel
linked to ousted
former Prime
Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra weeks
ahead of a general
election? Two
programs on Voice
TV, Tonight Thailand
and Wake Up News,
spread information
that caused public
confusion and
divisiveness, said
the National
Broadcasting and
Telecommunications
Commission, without
elaborating. 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
12-1: Please
immediately explain
why the SG's meeting
yesterday 6-6:50 pm
was not listed in
the UN Media Alert,
and separately why
some but not other
media were in fact
allowed in to "the
residence." Again,
in light of the
claim yesterday that
is was impossible to
attend the UNSC
meeting on Venezuela
then the Park East
Synagogue event
(even though USUN
charge d'affaires
Jonathan Cohen and
others did it),
explain why the
Secretary General
did not bother to
attend the 9 am UNSC
"urgent" meeting on
Venezuela on January
26. And state
whether the SG has
been working from
"the residence"
mid-day, and if so,
why.
February
12-2: On sexual
abuse and
exploitation and the
UN's and its TCCs'
increasing lack of
transparency, what
is the SG's comment
and action on the
report today from
Serbia that "The
United Nations
states that it was a
complaint that was
received in January,
that it was an
alleged victim and
that the proceedings
against the
suspected leader
were also within the
UN and Serbia. The
Ministry of Defense
did not answer the
question of the
Whistleblower
whether an
investigation and a
disciplinary
procedure is being
conducted against
that member of the
Serbian Armed
Forces.... the case
of sexual
exploitation for
which the suspected
Serbian soldier was
first reported by an
independent American
journalist Matthew
Lee, who has been
writing about abuses
in the United
Nations for years."
Explain why you have
refused to provide
the if-asked
information Inner
City Press
requested.
February
12-3: On Western
Sahara, please
confirm or deny that
the SG at the AU met
with Brahim Ghali
and if you don't
deny (there is a
photograph) provide
a read out or
explain why UN
provided read outs
of other meetings
but not this
one.
February
12-4: On Haiti,
again, what is the
SG's comment and
action on
accountability after
the death toll of UN
driving into a
collective taxi has
hit four? "A traffic
accident involving a
United Nations
armored vehicle
killed four people
and injured nine in
Port-au-Prince on
Saturday...The
vehicle of the
United Nations
Mission for Justice
Support in Haiti
(MINUJUSTH) lost the
use of its brakes
while driving in the
capital and collided
with a collective
taxi — known as a
tap-tap — according
to witnesses"
February
12-5: On Zimbabwe
and UN censorship,
what is the SG's
comment and response
to a UN "blockee"
who has Tweeted:
"Dear @UN It
it with deepest
disgust to learn
that @UNZimbabwe
resorted to blocking
me following an
tweet in which I
questioned them on
their silence over
the January
atrocities in
#Zimbabwe. An
organisation of this
magnitude is
expected to be above
such pettiness" -
including in light
of the Spokesman's
continued blocking
of @InnerCityPress.
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
11-1: On Cameroon,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the deadly
burning down of the
hospital in Kumba in
the Anglophone
Southwest Region,
and on the
imprisonment of
nurse Njongwan
Emeline for
"unauthorized"
filming the
authorities mass
arrests in Buea? In
this context, please
immediately specify
the SG's statement
on "dialogue avec le
Premier Ministre [du
Cameroun] et il nous
a promis que tout ce
fait pour créer des
conditions de
respect des droits
de l’homme et de
dialogue pour que la
situation puisse se
normaliser"?
February
11-2: On Haiti,
please specify the
UN's knowledge of
and action on those
killed and injured
by its APC, what
will be done to the
driver and for the
victims.
February
11-3: In Iraq, what
is the SG's comment
and action on his
envoy Jeanine
Hennis-Plasschaert
entirely covering
herself to meet with
Ayatollah Sistani? [Inner
City Press
tweeted photo here.]
February
11-4: On Sri Lanka,
please confirm that
the SG and USG
Lacroix are, even
after Shavendra
Silva was named army
chief of staff,
urging the fast
review and
deployment of his
soldiers to South
Sudan.
February
11-5: On South
Sudan, again, please
immediately confirm
and explain the
departure of
Olayinka Adeyemi
from UNMISS and
separately the order
to staff NOT to
communicate their
complaints to UNHQ,
leaked to Inner City
Press: "Dear
Colleagues, It has
been noted that
security officers
continue to
communicate directly
with DSS HQ on
policies and other
official issues in
spite of the fact
that you have been
advised not to do
so. Worst of
all, these
correspondences are
done without
copying the
PSA or
security management
in Juba. This
is against best
practices and
should be
stopped. Once
again please be
reminded to direct
all your concerns
regarding security
policies and other
official issues
to security
management in Juba.
Where it is deemed
that UNDSS HQ’s
input is
required,
management in Juba
will do so.
Kind regards, Thomas
Acheampong." Is this
USG Drennan's
policy? Again, what
is USG Drennan's
response to Inner
City Press' month
ago letter to him,
receipt confirmed,
about being roughed
up by UN DSS Lt
Ronald E. Dobbins?
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 8-1:
On Nigeria, what is
the comment of the SG
and separately DSG on
that Governor Nasir
el-Rufai of Kaduna
State yesterday
threatened that
foreign nationals who
interfere in the
forthcoming general
elections would be
given a “body bags
treatment"?
February 8-2:
On CAR and impunity,
what is the comment
and action of the SG,
and separately the new
SRSG, on opposition
to a clause in
the "peace" agreement
that reportedly calls
for the suspension of
prosecutions of those
accused of abuses
during the
conflict?
February 8-3:
On Guatemala, what is
the SG's comment and
action on that war
criminals convicted of
extrajudicial
killings, torture and
sexual slavery could
soon walk free if
Guatemalan lawmakers
sanction a blanket
amnesty for crimes
committed during the
36-year armed conflict
which left 200,000
people dead or
disappeared. Congress
will vote this week to
reform the national
reconciliation law and
give absolute impunity
for crimes against
humanity including
genocide, rape and
forced
disappearance?
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