UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 21
– 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 21 three hours before a Dujarric
briefing with his friends
where he read a
statement on Cameroon -
Guterres raising money
with / for Paul Biya - that
none present asked
about, while
refusing to answer
Inner City Press'
questions, Inner
City Press submitted 542 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 nor 13 nor 14
or 15 nor 18 nor 19
nor 20. 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
21-1: What is the
SG's comment and
action on that a
Chinese surveillance
company has been
tracking the
movements of more
than 2.5 million
people in a region
where authorities
have waged a
crackdown on Muslim
minorities, a
researcher has
discovered. Police
checkpoints and
security cameras
have been recording
the location data of
residents of the
Xinjiang region,
according to a Dutch
cybersecurity
expert, who
uncovered an online
database containing
names, photos, ID
card numbers, birth
dates and employment
details of people
monitored? And what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
on WeChat, posts
containing so
called “sensitive
words” –such as
Tiananmen Massacre,
Liu Xiaobo and
Occupy Central,
perhaps CEFC China
Energy – can’t be
posted?
February
21-2: On Yemen and
arms controls /
human rights, what
is the SG's comment
and action if any on
that the Australian
defence department
can’t guarantee that
Canberra-made remote
weapons systems,
that attracted a
taxpayer subsidy,
won’t be used in the
bloody Yemen
conflict?
February
21-3: On Nigeria,
what is the SG and
separately DSG's
comment and action
on that President
Muhammadu Buhari has
ordered
security agents to
kill ballot box
snatchers during the
February 23
presidential and
National Assembly
elections?
February
21-4: On DRC, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
civil society
organizations from
the two Kivu
provinces have
expressed concern
about the upsurge in
violence and the
multiplication of
Congolese and
foreign armed
groups. They
have asked the
Security Council to
command the United
Nations Mission in
Congo to attack all
armed groups without
distinction,
including those
supported by
governments. What IS
the UN's policy in
treated such
gov-supported
militia?
February
21-5: What is
the SG's comment and
action on that
Comoros' ambassador
to the United
Nations has said
that "the Supreme
Court of the Comoros
is completely
corrupt. All the
judges were
appointed by
President Azali. He
said that he is
surprised that
France "says nothing
about the excesses
of power"?
February
21-6: On Egypt
and freedom of the
press, what is the
SG's comment and
action if any on
that Egyptian
officials placed a
foreign
correspondent in
custody after he
landed in Cairo on
Monday, detaining
him for hours
without food or
water, and then
ordered him onto a
flight to London?
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
20-1: On Haiti, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
five Americans who
claimed to be on “a
government mission”
are facing charges
of possession of
illegal arms and
other crimes in
Haiti after being
arrested by Haitian
police with a cache
of automatic rifles
and pistols while
driving in vehicles
without license
plates. In all,
eight individuals,
including a Russian,
Serbian and Haitian
national, were
arrested in
Port-au-Prince.
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
20-2: On Cameroon,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the
UNHCR-certified
refugees illegally
refouled from
Nigeria (while the
DSG was there) in
military court today
in Yaounde? Is the
UN even monitoring
the military trial
of refugees? Again,
on sexual abuse and
exploitation,
Cameroon and the
UN's increasing lack
of transparency,
please immediately
provide all if-asked
and other
information about
the allegations
including attempted
rape allegation
against Cameroon
peacekeepers in CAR
and the South
African in DRC.
Again, 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
20-3: On Myanmar,
what is the SG's
comment and what is
the UN system doing
about that more than
200 refugees from
Paletwa township in
Chin State who fled
to Bangladesh from
fighting between the
Tatmadaw (military)
and Arakan Army (AA)
on February 3 are
stranded at the
border and need aid,
said U Win Thein,
head of the Refugee
Rescue Committee of
Bangladesh. U
Win Thein said the
280 refugees –
including ethnic
Chin, Khami, Mro and
Rakhine from
Paletwa, Kintalin
and Kha Maung Wa
villages – are
camped on a hill
near Ruma township
in Bandarban
district in
Bangladesh.
February
20-4: What is the
SG's response to US
Senator Marco
Rubio's criticism
that he is playing
right into Maduro
plans.. When it
comes to democracy
& human rights
UN increasingly
worthless"?
February
20-5: On Angola,
what is the SG's
comment and action,
if any, on that the
police arrested nine
people in the
Cabinda enclave.
They are all members
of a Church in which
the pastor preaches
for the
self-determination
of the Cabinda
people?
February
20-6: On Malawi and
the press freedom
the SG is set to
speak about in
Geneva, what is his
comment and action
on that Malawi
police and
Immigration officer
on Monday detained a
South African
financial
investigative
journalist
Ntombizodwa Patience
Makhoba at Chileka
International
Airport in Blantyre
and subsequently
deported her? While
she looks into the
financial roots of a
Malawian
businessman? 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
19-1: On Sudan, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
on the arbitrary
arrest and detention
of 116 political
activists between
December 2018 and
February 2019 for
their participation
or suspected
involvement in the
ongoing
anti-government
protests. At least
three detainees,
including 1 female
have been subjected
to six-month
detention under the
emergency law in
North Kordofan and
North Darfur states.
Authorities have
targeted opposition
party leaders and
members who are
actively involved in
the ongoing protest.
Many were arrested
during protests and
raids in private
residences and party
houses. Of the
116 political
activists detained,
31 are members of
the Sudanese
communist party, 49
are Baath Arabic
party members and 36
are members of the
Sudanese Congress
party. Again,
confirm or deny SG
meeting (not in
family photo but
hotel) with ICC
indicee
Bashir.
February
19-4: Also on CAR,
in light of what was
said at yesterday's
briefing, state what
the UN has DONE
about the
allegations since
October 2018 - what
is the SG's response
to MSF's complaints
that Batangafo in
October and
November, at least
15 people were
killed and 29 others
injured in the
attack on the town,
some 400km north of
the capital Bangui,
according to the
report published on
Monday. It
said the UN
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in CAR or
MINUSCA, failed in
its primary
responsibility in
the country?
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