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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Spox Haq About Uganda Haiti Tajikistan CEFC Argentina OSSC Burundi  Censorship 400+ UNanswered

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 20 – 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 20 three hours before a UN noon briefing where Dujarric's Deputy Farhan Haq who did not answer a single question from Inner City Press but had a faux colloquy with his colleague a day after he referred to the "Dominican Republic of the Congo," Inner City Press submitted 639 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 1-17 (!) 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 20-1: On Uganda, what is the SG's comment and action if any on reports that more than 250 people have fallen ill in Uganda linked to a fortified blended food distributed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for prevention of malnutrition. Officials urge people to stop eating the food until further notice.  A total of 262 people have been affected since March 12, with symptoms of mental confusion, vomiting, headache, high fever and abdominal pain. There are reports three people have died, one of them at Matany Hospital, Napak District, and two others. One male died in Lorengechora, Lookit village, Napak district, and a female died in Amuna village in Karita Sub County, Amudat district. All the deaths occurred on March 16? 

March 20-2: On bribery in the UN, a just filed sentencing memorandum seeking a five year jail term for Patrick Ho of CEFC China Energy includes quotes from his e-mails regarding aiming to violate sanctions and deal in arms not only to Chad but also South Sudan, Libya & Qatar. What is the SG's comment and action? Again, why has no audit even been begun of CEFC, at least like the one Mr. Guterres' predecessor did of Ng Lap Seng's Sun Kian Ip Foundation? Why did Mr Guterres omit payments from Gulbenkian Foundation, which sought to sell its oil company Partex to CEFC China Energy, from his public financial disclosure covering 2016? Where are the more recent public financial disclosures - has Mr. Guterres ended that program? Why? 

March 20-3: On Haiti, what is the SG's comment and action, and separately the UN mission's, on that Haiti’s Lower Chamber of Deputies fired Prime Minister Jean Henry Céant and his government on Monday, deepening uncertainty amid a political and economic crisis that led to violent protests last month and the U.S. and Canada warning citizens not to travel to the country. The swift no-confidence vote came with hardly any debate and after Lower Chamber President Gary Bodeau noted that neither Céant nor any of his cabinet ministers were present? 

March 20-4: On Tajikistan, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the Tajik government jailing a seriously ill political activist who says he has been tortured: Mahmadali Hayit, is deputy head of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), the country’s largest opposition party, which was banned by the government in late 2015.  During a visit on March 9, 2019, Hayit showed his wife, Savrinisso Jurabekova, injuries on his forehead and stomach that he said were caused by beatings from prison officials to punish him for refusing to record videos denouncing Tajik opposition figures abroad. Jurabekova said that her husband said he was not getting adequate medical care, and they both fear he may die in prison as a result of the beatings. Hayit has spent more than three years in prison and is currently being held at detention center (SIZO) number 1 in Dushanbe. 

March 20-5: How did the SG fly to Argentina - business class? How many accompanied him? How much has it cost? As asked (but not answered) " February 25-2: On UN spending, DGACM and OSSC, please confirm or deny that Argentina informed DGACM is would / could not pay to fly UN interpreters business class to the upcoming OSSC meeting there, and that interpreters have been cajoled to "volunteer" to fly economy by being given additional time off, to be paid for by all member states. Also, is USG Pollard flying economy - or business class? Why? 

March 20-6: On Burundi and freedom of expression, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that arresting seven schoolchildren last week. The children were accused of having scribbled on Nkurunziza's photo in their school books.  Six girls were taken to the local police station jail. Three were later released, but the three others, all teenagers under the age of 18, remained in jail over the weekend. They were charged on Monday with insulting the head of state, and could spend up to five years in prison if found guilty. 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 19-4: On press freedom and Venezuela, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that " In a report this month, the Caracas-based Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) said that so far this year, 25 websites have been blocked during events of public interest, such as last month's Venezuela aid concert on the Colombian side of the border and efforts by opposition leaders to move humanitarian supplies into the country.  Blocked domains included widely read independent news websites such as Efecto Cocuyo, El Pitazo, and Caraota Digital, as well as YouTube and Instagram.  "Most websites with anything valuable to read get blocked," Azpúrua said. "Live coverage of anything that is newsworthy is censored'"? 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 18-1: On the SEA report which was not sent to Inner City Press by the UN but by others, and which Inner City Press voluntarily refrained from reporting on until the 10 am deadline, please before 10 am explain (a) six allegations were considered conduct in violation of non-fraternization policies and not to contain indications of sexual exploitation or abuse - question: did these cases not involve sex?

March 18-2: On Kenya, what is the SG's comment and the UN's action on the starvation in Turkana? 

March 18-3: On "reform," on Friday it was said that 27 new Resident Coordinators are being recruited. Since these are not on the SG's webpage, please immediately state which 27 RC positions are being recruited for, and how much it will cost the UN and the public. 

March 18-6: What is the SG's comment and action on this, copied to Inner City Press, on a "possible FCPA violation may have occurred between Microsoft Corporation and the United Nations [now see here.]

March 15-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that 26 people who were arrested in Cameroon in January during protests called by opposition leader Maurice Kamto have been given one-year jail terms for “illegal gathering and demonstration” or just planning to take part in a non-political demonstration? What does the UN say about the reported murder of civilians by Biya's forces yesterday in Sop and Melim? 

March 15-5: Please explain the basis of Inner City Press yesterday afternoon being singled out and pushed out of the metal detector line at the Visitors Entrance of the UN despite being  invited and with a ticket to the press freedom / CSW event "Journalism and the Empowerment of Women: New Challenges in the Digital World." The DSS officers said it was based on a "barred" list and that they would show me the list once I left. But they never did. This is a request to see this barred list, and separately to be informed how people are put on it, what due process if any is afford, and how a person put on the list can appeal. In my case this is a request to be informed what person or persons put me on the list, and why. 

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. 

More here.

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