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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Guterres Spox About Sudan CEFC China DC Cameroon India Censorship 400+ UNanswered

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A, NY Post

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 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 March 13 more than four hours before the UN noon briefing, Inner City Press submitted 612 questions: "There are more than 400+ 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 28-3, 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 nor 21 nor 22 nor 25 nor 26 nor 27 nor March 1 nor 4 nor 5 nor 6 nor 7 nor 8 nor 10 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. 

March 13-1: On Sudan, what is the SG's comment and action on that " torture and custodial death of three University students who were detained by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) for participating in the ongoing protests. Mr Muhajoob Eltaj Muhajoob, a 25-year-old student from Khartoum died on 24 December 2018 shortly after being detained on the same day by NISS of Khartoum. Reliable information indicates that he was subjected to torture including beatings on different parts of his body using horse pipes and sticks while in NISS custody"? Again, how many times has Mr. Guterres met Bashir, and why? 

March 13-2: On UN bribery, Patrick Ho's sentencing submission yesterday states inter alia that "Beginning in 2013, the CEFC Think Tank also held annual symposia at the United Nations (“UN”) devoted to issues raised at the most recent annual political convention in China. In addition, the CEFC Think Tank, in consultation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (“UN-DESA”), established and funded the “Powering the Future We Want” grant—an annual $1 million award for a promising sustainable energy project (the “Energy Grant”). The CEFC Think Tank donated approximately $2 million to the UN every year to fund the prize and its administration." What entity or subdivision of the UN took the $1 million beyond the $1 million "prize"? What are the details on the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 "symposia" by this UN bribery group? Again, why has SG not initiated an audit at least like Ban Ki-moon did on Sun Kian Ip - and why did the SG omit his paid board position with Gulbenkian Foundation, which tried to sell its oil company to CEFC, from his public financial disclosure covering 2016? When are the already delayed public financial disclosures, including that of Alison Smale who had not yet published anything, be made available? 

March 13-3: On today's and tomorrow's SG team trip to Washington, (1) state how many and which UN staff are on the trip, (2) how much it costs, (3) which members of Congress the SG is meeting with, (4) whether this includes Sen Marco Rubio and if not, why not- did the SG request a meeting? (5) provide read-outs of all meetings or state why not. 

March 13-4: On China, and Kazakhstan, what is the SG's comment and action on that A prominent human rights activist and China critic based in Kazakhstan, has been arrested by Kazakh police and charged with inciting ethnic strife, according to his lawyer.  Serikzhan Bilash is the co-founder of Atajurt, an Almaty-based organization that brings attention to the crackdown on Muslims in China's western region of Xinjiang.  Aiman Umarova, Bilash's lawyer, said that her client was arrested on Saturday night in Almaty and transferred to Astana, the Kazakhstan capital. Umarova added that Bilash was "roughed up" during his arrest? 

March 13-5: On India and press freedom, what is the SG's comment and action on that on March 8, the High Court of Meghalaya found guilty of contempt Patricia Mukhim and Shobha Chaudhuri, editor and publisher, respectively, of the venerable Shillong Times, which has been in print from before Independence. The bench found two stories published in the newspaper contemptuous, headlined “High Court pursues retirement benefits to judges, family” and “When judges judge themselves”. The order found the latter headline itself contemptuous, though it is only a variant of the common saying, “Physician, heal thyself,” which does not upset the medical profession? AGAIN, 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.

March 12-4: On the Ethiopia Airlines crash, on whichInner City Press questions on March 10 and 11 were not answered or acknowledged despite the attempt to ascertain the fate of the names raised by concern by UN staff in Somalia, please now answer this question, put to the WFP without answer: " at what point does the credibility of an airline become eroded sufficiently for a large organisation not to risk the lives of its staff by flying on it.   This article linked here in a respected professional publication about the 2010 Ethiopian fatal crash in Beirut and the spin put on the investigation by the airline makes scary reading... Notwithstanding the concern about the model of aircraft in question in Addis, there have now been two crashes within nine years where independent analysis suggests pilot error may have been a decisive factor,   at what point would WFP decide that it would suspend its use of an airline pending investigation? will there have to be another crash?"

March 13-5: On Venezuela and press freedom, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the disappearance / detention of journalist  Luis Carlos Diaz? AGAIN, 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.

March 11-3: Also on Uganda, perhaps relatedly, what is the SG's comment and action on President Museveni's threat to pull Ugandan troops from AMISOM? 

March 11-5:  On press freedom and, today, Turkey what is the SG's comment and action if any on that Thomas Seibert, a reporter for the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel daily, and Jörg Brase, a correspondent for public broadcaster ZDF, flew to Germany on Sunday after their accreditation to work in Turkey was not renewed?  AGAIN, 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.

March 8-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the holding over of barrister Michele Ndoki, whom the government previously shot, on charges like Maurice Kamto of "rebellion"? 

March 8-2: On UN corruption and bribery, yesterday evening Inner City Press saw in front of the UN and questioned Francis Lorenzo, who pleaded guilty to UN bribery. Please immediately state the last time convicted UN bribery felon Francis Lorenzo entered the UN (same for former El Salvador Ambassador Carlos Garcia, who it was shown facilitied Lorenzo's illegal acts, and for Patrick Ho), and state whether Lorenzo is affiliated in any way to the Dominican Republic mission to the UN. 

March 7-4: AGAIN - immediately state who, with public funds, the SG invited to eat halibut with him on March 4, and why it was not on his public schedule. Please state whether the UN considers "The Century Fund" to be a media and if so, why - and, AGAIN, 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.

March 6-3: Please immediately provide the SG's comment and response to the Staff Unions' complain that DSS funds are being diverted to for profit events of CulinArt and USG Smale's DGC: " "the Department of Safety and Security is currently ceding some of its funding to serve profit-making ventures, both a contractor, CulinArt, and another Secretariat department, the Department of Global Communications, by providing security services for their ventures, that is, Friday nights activities at the Delegates Lounge and United Nations Tours, respectively. The funds to provide those services from the UNDSS’s annual budget are substantial and are not reimbursed. Why should UNDSS continue to provide those services out of its budget free of charge when cuts are being made elsewhere?" 

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