In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, Dec 4 – Inner City Press on 5 July 2018 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' Department of Global Communication issued a letter banning Inner City Press from the UN - for life. With no due process.

Guterres has put the UN in the US Press Freedom Tracker, here. The head of the UN Department of Global Communications said, again, that the UN would answer Press questions to the Spokesman Stephane Dujarric and his Office; Dujarric said the same on camera. On December 4 an hour before a noon briefing by Spokesman Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric in which not a single question was asked, after the July 26 noon briefing had no questions at all, video here, Inner City Press submitted 1390 questions, including why it continues to be lawlessly banned from entering to ask questions in person: "There are more than 900+ questions UNanswered. While you still withhold if-asked information about Cameroon child rape(s) in CAR. And 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, 8-30, Sept 3-5, 9-30 and now October 1-3, 7-14, 16-31 and Nov 1-11, 13-29, Dec 2-3 many questions. No answers at all during those four days of the US v Ho trial showing corruption in the UN says it all; no answers during the Honduras narco-president trial while UN bragged about taking his money, nor on OneCoin. 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.

December 4-1: On Sri Lanka on which you all refused questions from Inner City Press on the use of photos of UN Peacekeepers with Shavendra Silva during Gotabaya Rajapaksa's electoral campaign, what are the belated comments and actions of SG Guterres now on that concerns of Sri Lanka's journalists about the searches, interrogations and acts of intimidation to which they have been subjected to since Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in as president just two weeks ago? It took little more than a week after his installation on 18 November for Rajapaksa to start having an impact of press freedom in Sri Lanka. The initial targets included Newshub.lk, a Colombo-based news website that police raided on 26 November, searching the contents of its servers, desktops and laptops.  The warrant produced by the police had expired on 12 December 2018, nearly a year ago, but the police brushed that aside, blaming a typing error, and continued to use the search word "Gota" on all of the website's computers to find and examine references to Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

December 4-2: On corruption and Gabon, what are the comments and actions of SG Guterres and separately his special representative(s) on that the former chief of staff for Gabon's President Ali Bongo has been arrested along with two other ministers who recently lost their jobs.  The public prosecutor said Brice Laccruche Alihanga and the former ministers of oil and energy were picked up

December 4-3: On Dominica including its non-Dominican diplomats entering and using the UN, corruption and the upcoming election, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that Barbadian troops and police officers under the command of the Regional Security System (RSS) were tonight preparing to be deployed to Dominica to help maintain law and order, as unrest builds in the run-up to Friday’s general election.

December 4-4: As asked by banned Inner City Press on November 26 one hour after UN data dump of more sex exploitation allegations, still without any answer - pure cover up -- now immediately answer On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information about the two more November 26, 3 pm cases of sexual exploitation in CAR by Cameroon troops in September 2019 (!) and 2018, and those of November 21 from 2017 and 2016, released an hour before UNSG Guterres met Cameroon FM, without readout or access or even response to request for access, on top of the November 11 case of rape in Liberia, and by a Cameroon "military observer" in Mali, UNanswered with Inner City Press blocked from noon briefing and only 2 questions inside, the cases of sexual exploitation and rape cursorily data dumped on November 11 at 10:30 am including rapes in Liberia, sexual exploitation in Sept 2019 in CAR (all nationalities undisclosed - why?), by Cameroon in Mali and those on November 4 and on October 31 at 1:30 pm as well as previously requested without response about the child rape and sexual exploitation by UN "peacekeepers" from Cameroon and South Africa the UN cursorily disclosed on the afternoon of October 28

December 4-5: On DRC, now six days after the UN begrudgingly acknowledged its role in the shooting death of a civilian, answer banned Inner City Press' November 25 question and explain why it was not answered despite Dujarric's and DGC's supposed commitment to answer questions, and immediately respond to this

December 4-7: On Morocco and press freedom, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately USG Melissa Fleming on that a Moroccan social media influencer has appeared in court after he posted criticism of both King Mohammed VI and the general public.  Mohamed Sekkaki, whose YouTube commentaries attract tens of thousands of viewers, had said that the king's speeches were useless.  He also described his fellow citizens as ignorant, saying they watched their rights being flouted without saying a word.  The public prosecutor's office said Mr Sekkaki had been arrested following several complaints from citizens about the "insults and degrading descriptions" in a video

November 27-4: On fraud and now Dubai, now that the OneCoin trial in SDNY has ended with a guilty verdict, and the links to Venezuela and PDVSA, as well as role of Dubai and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum along with Amer Abdulaziz of Phoenix thoroughbred (with other UN connections) are being exclusively reported by Inner City Press while UN has refused to answer on it and on UN-linked World Sports Alliance IgoBit and even Carlos Garcia's use of the UN for a fraudulent coin, now immediately answer this Inner City Press two week old questions: November 8-5: Again, given the increase about of fraud with which the UN is surrounded / involved in under SG Guterres, now belatedly answer this Inner City Press question now that UN-linked World Sports Alliance Saint Clair has been formally indicted in the SDNY, and belatedly comment on the global implications of the related OneCoin fraud being shown in SDNY trial: "October 24-1

November 19-1: On Honduras on which SG Guterres never answered Inner City Press' questions after conviction of presidential brother Tony Hernandez and the proof JOH took El Chapo funds, beyond the UN thanking Honduras for $50,000, what now is Guterres' comment on the assassination of Josue David Caceres Aguilar, the son of another witness of JOH's corruption Miguel Anulfo Valle? And again, where is the report or what was the read-out of the 4 person panel Guterres sent to Honduras after JOH's dubious electoral win? 

September 4-8: Immediately explain the single lawless line from MALU on 30 August 2019: "Greetings Matthew Lee from Inner City Press, Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M5413398, has been declined for the following reason: Media accreditation was withdrawn on 17 August 2018." This is a formal request for the UN's explanation of grounds for this denial. And a demand for answer to these questions, which MALU has declined to answer:  Who made the decision?  Where is the list of those accredited by [MALU]?  What and to whom is the process of appeal? 

September 3-19: On press freedom and Cameroon, on which you refused to answer on August 13 despite saying the office was staffed and answering, now more specific: what is the SG's comment and action if any, post golden statue, to that Paul Atanga Nji, territorial administration minister, says Cameroon's journalists are becoming highly unpatriotic.  "They have one main objective, just to sabotage government action, to promote secessionist tendencies," said Nji. "I urge them to be responsible. Those who do not want to respect the laws will be booked as being recalcitrant and will be treated as such"... 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 [and AOC unblocking Dov Hikind], 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, here.  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? Immediately explain the single lawless line from MALU on 30 August 2019: "Greetings Matthew Lee from Inner City Press, Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M5413398, has been declined for the following reason: Media accreditation was withdrawn on 17 August 2018." 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 Fleming have not even responded... 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 - and respond that Inner City Press on August 24 applied like 100s or 1000s of others to cover the upcoming UNGA high level week, including now formally offering to answer any quesions the UN / DSS might have, having been vetted and accredited elsewhere since, as both USG DSS Michaud and MALU have formally been timely informed -- and how it is possible that a media that closely covers and uncovers the UN could be denied entry, other than (SG) censorship.

More here.

***

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Past (and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for