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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Spox Dujarric of Gambia Bobi Wine Dead Peacekeeper SG Missing Fleming Cameroon Egypt SG Censorship 700+ UNanswered

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 6 – 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 August 6 more than two hours before the UN noon briefing by spokesman Stephane Dujarric, during which he repeated the claim that Guterres whose location he refuses to disclose is deeply concerned, about Egypt whose state media Sanaa Youssef of Akhbar al Yoom who for not asking a question in a decade was awarded the Press' work space, after the July 26 noon briefing had no questions at all, video here, Inner City Press submitted 1101 questions, including why it continues to be lawlessly banned from entering to ask questions in person: "There are more than 700+ questions UNanswered. And Monday Sept 17, Tuesday Sept 18, Wed Sept 19 and  Thurs and Fri Sept 21, that whole week, no questions answered. Nor Sept 25, nor 28th - nor October 2 nor 3. While appreciating and using what was belatedly sent on May 20 about sexual exploitation allegations and on March 28 in partial request to Inner City Press' questions about the UN bribery sentence of Patrick Ho of CEFC and CEFC's 2018 attempt to buy the oil company of Gulbenkian Foundation which paid the SG, 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. 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 nor 15 nor 18 nor 19 nor 20 nor 21 nor 22 nor 25 nor 26 nor 27 nor March 1 - 27 (!) And now April 1, 3-30 (one answer in the entire month - corrupt), and now May 1-13, 15-17, 21-31, June 3-28, and July 1-2, 8-31 and August 1-5, many questions. 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.

August 6-1: On Uganda and human rights, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that Ugandan MP and musician Bobi Wine has been charged with the absurd crime of "intending to annoy, alarm or ridicule the president"? The new charge is an addition to a previous charge of treason.  In an alleged incident that led to his arrest, the MP and his colleagues are accused of hurling stones at the presidential convoy during an election rally in the northern town of Arua 

August 6-2: On human rights, impunity and The Gambia, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the release of three of Jammeh's self-confessed assassins? Malick Jatta, Omar Jallow and Amadou Badjie were members of a paramilitary unit known as the "Junglers".  They were released from army custody two weeks after appearing before the country's truth commission.  "Our team was a hit squad for Yahya Jammeh," Mr Badjie told the commission.  "We had blind loyalty for Yahya Jammeh," he added  The three assassins had been arrested by military police in 2017, when President Adama Barrow took office after winning elections in December 2016 to end Mr Jammeh's 22-year rule. 

August 6-3: On the death of a UN peacekeepers, what is the SG's comment, action and explanation on the death in Mali of Bangaldesh Constable Md Omar Faruk who died in Bamako around 2:30am (Bangladesh time)? Why wasn't he repatriated if sick? 

August 6-4: Given that the SG's public schedules for August 2, August 5 and now August 6 are entirely blank, "all appointments internal," and given that Poland's Foreign Minister was not able to meet with the SG on August 3, please immediately state where the UNSG is, now and for the next three weeks, and at what cost to the public. Additionally, since public officials from Trump to de Blasio to Corey Johnson all disclose where they are, and given the UN system travel scandals at UNRWA, UN Women and previously UNEP, explain why Mr. Guterres' lack of transparency is not part of the problem. Finally on this, for now, given the Secretariat's communication failures, state when exactly Ms. Fleming takes over from Alison Smale, whether Ms. Fleming is still has stated on her profile at UNHCR and if she is answer some/any of her e-mail there. 

August 6-5: On Nigeria, what is the comment of the missing SG and separately of DSG Amina J. Mohammed on that scores were injured while many Nigerians including journalists were arrested and abused by the police during protests against what they call the incompetence and corruption of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration on August 5? 

August 6-6: On Cameroon, after the SG took Biya's golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors, what are the comments and actions if any from him and separately DSG Amina J. Mohammed on the protests on July 22 by those Ambazonians illegally detained in Kondengui Central Prison? And the protests since then, amid the SG's typical silence, in the prisons in Buea?  

August 6-7: On press freedom and Egypt, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that on July alone, 13 journalists have been arrested and detained; there have been five violations of distribution rights recorded and four unfair trials have taken place?  There have been three cases of arbitrary administrative decisions, says the watchdog, one case of assault and death threats and nine violations against female journalists.  Journalists Hisham Fouad and Hossam Mounas were arrested as part of the Hope Alliance case, an electoral coalition of civil forces which planned to run in the next elections and who have been accused of being members of a terrorist group.  El-Tahrir website announced it would be insolvent in two months after exhausting all attempts to unblock its website since last May. No official reason was given for the block... Now that the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled against public officials blocking critics on Twitter even if the official claims their account is private, what is the justification for UNSG Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, with the UN flag in his profile photo and Guterres promoting content, blocking Inner City Press? What is SG Guterres' response / reaction to UN DSS and Guterres' actions on Inner City Press being listed in the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. In the UN, what has the accountability been for Lt Ronald E. Dobbins and those those refused on camera to give their names? What is each of yours - particularly the SG's - response to the letter written and sent by Burundi activist Manisha Lievin? To the April 15 letter to the SG, DSG and USG Smale for which receipt has not even been acknowledged, other than a single lawless line from MALU: "Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M66561081, has been declined"? This is a formal request for the UN's explanation of grounds for this denied, and since SGcentral, the SG's chief of staff and Deputy SG and USG Smale haven't even confirmed receipt of the April 15 letter much less responded, for reconsideration. 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.

June 14-5: Since the SG claimed publicly that the mansion he lives in "cannot" be sold, please immediately provide any and all documents with such a restriction, and separately explain why the concept of cy pres or reformation of donor intent has not been explored. Separately,  Boutros Boutros Galli wrote in his book that the building was given by Arthur Houghton through the United Nations Association of the USA. What actual inquires, with UNA-USA or any successor to Houghton or Corning Glass, has Guterres made? 

June 11-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on this report from Chinese state media: "YAOUNDE, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's House Speaker of National Assembly Cavaye Yeguie Djibril on Monday denounced foreign interference in the country's internal affairs which he referred to as "conspiracy."  "Cameroon has become an object of conspiracy intended to destabilize the country. To justify their interference in internal affairs, the conspirators pretend to denounce it." Again, how many offices / desk does the Secretariat give to Chinese state media inside the UN? 

May 15-3: On the Public Financial Disclosures for 2017 belatedly published over the weekend of April 27-28, please state why Mohammed Ibn Chambas, like the Executive Secretary of the UN Biodiversity Convention, Cristiana Paşca-Palmer, UNICEF's Henriette Fore, with documented links to ExxonMobil and others, USG Mark Lowcock (undisclosed while the Secretariat's speaker at the UNSC Arria on Cameroon), UNCTAD's Mukhisa Kituyi, UN Women's Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UNOG chief Michael Moller, UNDP chief Achim Steiner,  Heidi Mendoza, Adama Dieng, UN Security chief Peter Drennan, Rosemary DiCarlo and Nicholas Haysum, is not even on the list. OIOS chief Inga-Britt Ahlenius reported - why not Mendoza? Where IS Mendoza? Isn't it a bad practice for the UN's head (anti) genocide definition official to conceal from the public even cursory financial disclosure? Did DiCarlo decline to make any public disclosure despite being the UN's top political officer? What is the even plausible applicability of this line from SG Guterres' web page: "Please note that given the multi-cultural environment of the UN and the often security sensitive locations where UN staff are either working or come from, full public disclosure may not always be a viable or sensible option for certain staff members"? Why has Guterres changed the previous system in a which a "choosing not to disclose" statement was upload and listed, to one which helps conceal who reports and who does not?  Again, state why considering the UN bribery conviction of Patrick Ho of CEFC, and CEFC's attempt to purchase the oil company of Gulbenkian Foundation which paid Mr. Guterres in 2016 was omitted from his online public financial disclosure covering 2016, and why Guterres has not even started an audit of CEFC in the UN. 

More here.

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