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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Spox Dujarric About South Sudan Cameroon UN Bribery Hong Kong Censorship 400+ UNanswered

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 26 – 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 26 three hour before a UN noon briefing by Dujarric in which when told "I am asking this question for a colleague" he said, You must say which colleague, Inner City Press submitted 664 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 1-25 (!) 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 26-1: On South Sudan, what is the comment and action if any of Antonio Guterres on that a former World Bank economist whose detention in South Sudan has caused an international outcry was one of seven men charged on Monday with insurgency and sabotage, more than seven months after his arrest. Peter Biar Ajak, who is country director for his native South Sudan for the International Growth Centre which studies emerging economies at the London School of Economics, had been held since last July? 

March 26-2: On "reform," on March 15 it was said that 27 new Resident Coordinators are being recruited. Since these are not on the SG's webpage, not this specific question:  Renaud Meyer has announced himself as the new  Thailand RR --  - is/was this one of the 27 posts the SG and DSG are recruiting for? Where are these recruitment notices? Again, please immediately state which 27 RC positions are being recruited for, and how much it will cost the UN and the public. 

March 26-3: On UN sexual abuse and exploitation, please immediately provide until now withheld specifics on this: " A Fijian UN peacekeeper was dismissed from duty last year after engaging in sexual exploitation while stationed in Lebanon, official records show.  The incident...  has not previously been reported." Again, 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? (b) four allegations involved sexual harassment, physical assault and paternity claims, which were considered not to contain indications of sexual exploitation and abuse - question: isn't fathering a child with a beneficiary of UN "assistance" per se exploitation? (c) three allegations involved sexual assaults between United Nations personnel, but not with beneficiaries of assistance - question: confirm this was "blue on blue," on which the UN has previously refused to answer Inner City Press; (d) one allegation involved a member of United Nations personnel not associated with a peacekeeping mission; one allegation did not involve sexual exploitation and abuse - question - what are the bases of these statement?; and one allegation was received by OIOS in 2018 but will be recorded in 2019, once it is referred to the Member State concerned - question: what is the member state concerned and what have they done, as of 18 March 2019? 

March 26-4: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action on that " In an open letter addressed to President Paul Biya, the chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms says the commission is ready to reverse the situation in the two English speaking Regions of Cameroon, if President Biya accepts. Mentioning the safe role played by the commission in the release of the 20 students from the University of Buea kidnaped on March 21st by armed separatists, Dr Divine Banda, chairman of the commission said a peaceful approach remains the best option to put an end to the crisis.  “When the regional secretary of the NCHRF of the South West Region informed us that he had been contacted yesterday the 21st of March by those who kidnapped the students of the University of Buea (…) we instructed him to try to use peaceful means to secure their release. Late in the night, he sent information indicating that he had succeeded to obtain the release of the students (…) the kidnappers knew that we have stood and continue to stand for a peaceful approach to the solution to the crisis” part of the letter reads.  The open letter made public on March 22, 2019 doubts the effective presence of the defence and security forces on the field amidst all the kidnappings and inhuman acts perpetrated by armed separatists.  As such, the commission demands the permission and support of President Biya to resolve the crises." What type of Human Rights Commission needs an autocrat's permission? 

March 26-5: On UN bribery, yesterday Patrick Ho of the China Energy Fund Committee was sentenced to 36 months in prison and a $400,000 fine for his UN bribery; in today's proceeding Ho was described as using a UN NGO to "sell weapons enthusiastically." What now is SG Antonio Guterres' comment and action? Will he now begin an audit of CEFC in the UN?  What is the SG's comment and response to this 22 minute documentary about Patrick Ho and CEFC's bribes through the UN including Mr. Guterres' refusal to answer Inner City Press' question on it on 5 December 2018 at Min 17  Again, the  sentencing memorandum 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 26-6: On Hong Kong and press freedom, what is the SG's comment and action is any on the the charges against the nine leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement, as they “stem solely from the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”  The nine activists stood trial late last year and a verdict is expected on April 9. Critics have said that the Department of Justice unfairly chose its charges against the defendants, including an “incitement to incite” charge? On outlawing the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, banning lawmaker Eddie Chu from a village representative election and refusing to renew the visa of journalist Victor Mallet?  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 25-3: On environmental scams, China and Africa, what are the comments and actions if any of the SG and separately DSG Amina J. Mohammed on that A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) – Toxic Trade: Forest Crime in Gabon and the Republic of Congo and the Contamination of the US Market  –  documents how illegally extracted African timber emerges as “eco-friendly”-marketed products in America, deceiving unsuspecting US consumers. During a 4-year undercover investigation, EIA uncovered the inner workings of one of Africa’s most influential timber conglomerates – the “Dejia Group” – controlled by Chinese mogul Xu Gong De? What was ever done by the UN on the rosewood scandal and DSG's role in Nigeria and Cameroon? 

March 25-4: On Sri Lanka, what is the SG's comment and action if any on this footage of a non violent protest by Puttalam villagers protesting against a proposed garbage landfill in Aruwakkalu being cracked down on by police?

March 25-5: On your / Spokesperson Dujarric's recent podcast interview, please immediately explain what was meant by a relationship with journalists of "mutually assured destruction" - and why the podcast links are mostly 404/no longer online. 

March 25-8: On the SG's March 22 appearance on 96th Street, please immediately provide the name of the UN DSS officer who spoke to NYPD on 96th Street to get them to restraint in advance Inner City Press while UN Photo and others like AP walked freely, the basis for this censorship and any and all records regarding it. 

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

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 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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