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

UN GATE, Jan 9 – 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 January 9 before a noon briefing by Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric in which he again concluded with the escalators, after the July 26 noon briefing had no questions at all, video here, Inner City Press submitted 1476 questions, including why it continues to be lawlessly banned from entering to ask questions in person: "There are more than 1000+ questions UNanswered. 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.

January 9-1: On Uganda on which you have refused Inner City Press' questions this year, what are the belated comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that Ugandan authorities have stepped up their repression recently by blocking all “political” meetings – even those held in private homes – and arresting opposition figures and journalists.  And this week’s arrest of the Uganda’s most high-profile opposition member, Bobi Wine, sets a worrying new precedent.  Last year, the Ugandan Electoral Commission authorized the People Power group, led by Wine – a parliament member and well-known singer whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi – to hold consultation meetings as part of his 2021 presidential bid.  The next day in Gulu, the police blocked People Power from accessing a venue set to hold a similar meeting, and on Wednesday blocked another event planned by the group in Lira, where this time police detained Kyagulanyi, releasing him shortly after. Police also arrested journalists covering the events in Gayaza and Lira, and reportedly ordered at least one reporter to delete his footage of the events. 

January 9-2: On South Sudan, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Gutteres on the human rights sanctions against South Sudanese First Vice President Taban Deng Gai? The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Deng on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in serious human rights abuses, including the disappearance and deaths of civilians.  The State Department said Deng advised and influenced another South Sudanese government official in January 2017 to execute human rights lawyer Dong Samuel Luak and Aggrey Idri, a member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in opposition (SPLM-IO) after they were kidnapped from Kenya. 

January 9-3: On China and Kazakhstan what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that On January 6, 2020, court hearings against the two ethnic Kazakh men, Kaster Musakhanuly and Murager Alimuly, on charges of illegal border crossing began in the remote eastern town of Zaysan.

January 9-4: On Liberia what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has accused the Liberian Nation Police of breaking the rules of engagement by the use of force against “peaceful protester” when they dispersed them by the use of teargas and hot water cannon.  In a press statement Wednesday, January 8, 2020, Atty. Bartholomew B. Colley, Acting chairman of the INCHR called for an investigation of the National Police over the use of excessive of force by state security against peaceful protesters on Monday.

January 9-5: On DRC, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that the authorities have decided to close UniKin, the University of Kinshasa after riots have shaken the campus for the past two days.

January 9-6: On "UN75," please immediately state how the UN selected Vox to partner with: "To inspire and inform the dialogues, the UN is also partnering with Vox Media’s brand studio, Vox Creative, to create a video informed by interviews with 38 people from around the world, sharing their experiences and opinions related to important global issues, to be launched on 6 January." 

January 9-7: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - as Inner City press asked in writing on December 30 without response, this is a request that you immediately provide  the "if asked" information about the two new cases of sexual exploitation in CAR by Cameroonian UN "Police" that were put online after 5 pm on December 30 (a day when you refused to answer 7 questions including on previous UN rapes), and the (Dec 19) rape 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 (!)

January 9-8: 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?

January 9-9: As previously and repeated asked, where has UNSG Antonio Guterres been for the past week(s), and how much public money has he spent? 

January 9-10: On press freedom and Burkina Faso what are the comments of SG Guterres and separately USG Melissa Fleming on that the attack in the home of journalist Yacouba Ladji Bama in Ouagadougou

January 3-1: On Cameroon, what are the comment and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately of USG Melissa Fleming on the return of refugees to Cameroon from Nigeria and other countries in the region. The Paul Biya government has been bragging about these, but many in Cameroon and elsewhere question where it is again refoulement, like that of Ayuk Tabe and 46 others, unacted on by the UN system.? And, again, on Paul Biya's New Years speech threatening more state violence in SW and NW regions? 

December 31-5: On North Korea / DPRK, what are the comments and action if any of SG Guterres on (1) this afternoon's release on bail of Virgil Griffith for attending a crypto currency conference in Pyongyang in April 2019; (2) SG Guterres' "exclusive" statement to Capitalist Tool publication Forbes about blockchain and why it was not put on the UN's website (provide it now), on (3) "Before Guterres pushes for more blockchain adoption at the UN, he might want to take stock of what it’s already got" per Decrypt, and (4) this, by the UN: "The United Nations Green Climate Fund (GCF) this week approved its first round of funding for a project aimed at helping North Korea deal with climate change, the agency’s website indicated on Thursday.  The program, titled “Readiness and Preparatory Support for Capacity Building of NDA (National Designated Authorities) and establishment of a National Strategy Framework for engagement with GCF in the DPRK,” will be implemented through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to which GCF will be providing the funding." What steps have these UN bodies take with regard to sanctions on DPRK?

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 2006-2020 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for