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

UN GATE, Dec 26 – 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 26 in place of what would have been a noon briefing by Spokesman Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric except he was too lazy, after the July 26 noon briefing had no questions at all, video here, Inner City Press submitted 1426 questions, including why it continues to be lawlessly banned from entering to ask questions in person: "There are more than 900+ questions UNanswered. Just recently, Nov 1-11, 13-29, Dec 2-20 many questions. No answers at all during the 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 26-1: On CAR, what are the comments and more importantly actions if any of SG Guterres on reports that at least 11 people were killed in fighting between militiamen and traders in a restive district of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), two security officials and a Muslim cleric said on Thursday.  Between 11 and 14 people died after clashes erupted late Wednesday, the security sources said, while the imam, Awad al Karim, said "16 bodies" had been brought to the local Ali Babolo mosque.  The fighting began after traders in a mainly Muslim district called PK5 took up arms to oppose taxes levied by militia groups, the imam said.  Bursts of automatic fire and explosions were heard on Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning 

December 26-2: On Cyprus, immediately provide the response of SG Guterres and separately USG Lacroix to reports that residents of the village of Denia on Cyprus complained to the government and United Nations peacekeepers that Turkish-Cypriots came into a buffer zone and started cultivating land belonging to Greek-Cypriots.  Community leader Christakis Panayiotou told reporters that Cypriot farmers growing products in the buffer zone saw that tractors had arrived with a truck and started cultivating fields.  “We spoke to them, we notified the UN that asked them to leave,” he said, adding however that as soon as the peacekeepers left, they returned, this time escorted by Turkish soldiers and continued to work." 

December 26-3: On Tanzania and human rights what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment faced by Mr. Tito Magoti, Mass Education Officer at the LHRC. 

December 26-4: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - as I asked at 4 pm on December 20 wihtout response, this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information about the new (Dec 19)r ape case by a UN Volunteer in DRC in June 2019 - what nationality? What's been done for the victim(s)? and the Dec 9 sex abuse cases in CAR by Gabon, DRC and Morocco UN "peacekeepers, and the Dec g  about the Office of the Special Envoy for the Sahel, and the two more November 26, 3 pm cases of sexual exploitation in CAR by Cameroon troops in September 2019 (!)

December 26-5: On SG Guterres' Town Hall in Geneva, on which you refused Inner City Press' Dec 20 question, what is your summary of what SG Guterres said given that Inner City Press will be publishing more of it?

December 26-6:  As previously and repeated asked, where IS UNSG Antonio Guterres, and how much public money is he spending?    

December 26-7: On press freedom and the British Virgin Islands, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately USG Melissa Fleming on the British Virgin Islands' Computer Misuse and Cybercrime (Amendment) Act 2019? Section 14B of the bill criminalizes “electronic defamation,” defined as using a computer to defame someone, with penalties of up to three years in prison and fines up to $100,000.

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.

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