UN
Surveillance
Camera Still
Up, Palestine
Video Still
Down, Banning
Press
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
23 -- Basic
principles of
press freedom
that the UN
abided by in
the past are
now being
violated
without so
much as an
explanation.
In 2009
when the UN
"inadvertently"
installed
security
cameras over
the press
offices in its
Library
building,
after Inner
City Press exposed it,
the cameras
were removed.
But in 2013?
Inner
City Press
asked it at
the UN's May
23 noon
briefing, video
here from
Minute 12:
Inner
City Press:
the UN has
installed a
security
camera on the
third floor,
right in front
of the door of
Inner City
Press and the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access, that’s
why I am
raising it.
This issue
arose when
there was a
temporary move
to above the
library here.
What I am
wondering is
whether the UN
thinks it is
appropriate to
install
security or
surveillance
cameras in an
area used by
the press to
meet with
sources. Is it
going to be
removed?
Deputy
Spoksperson
Del Buey:
Well, Matthew,
I have seen
your exchange
of e-mails
with Stéphane
Dujarric, and
I believe that
Stéphane
Dujarric is
addressing
this issue, so
I…
Inner
City Press: Is
it coming down
or is it
staying up?
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well, I’ll
leave it to
Stéphane to
explain it to
you. Okay,
thank you very
much, ladies
and gentlemen.
Have a good
afternoon.
In an
e-mail on the
evening of May
22, after
Inner City
Press and
FUNCA
complained,
Dujarric
replied that
he had gone to
see the camera
and would look
into it.
He
also repeated
what he has
said on May
20, that a UN
video of the
speech of
Palestinian
negotiator
Saeb Erekat
that was
erroneously
cut off from
broadcast by
UNTV, which
Dujarric
supervised,
would be put
online.
A full
twenty four
hour later,
the
surveillance
camera was
still up, and
the video
still not. And
no explanation
or update at
all from
Dujarric,
despite Del
Buey's
statement at
the noon
briefing that
"I’ll leave it
to Stéphane to
explain it to
you." This is
unacceptable.
We will have
more on this.
Footnote:
Dujarric,
as we have
previously
noted, is
close, too
close, with
the old UNCA
including its
anonymous
social media trolls.
In this case,
UNCA's
president is
claiming she
didn't know
about and
hadn't seen
the Media
Access
Guidelines
which name
UNCA as a
party. She does not
want her name
used; thus
she supports
the attempted
curtailment of
free speech,
even on
substantive
flyers on
journalists'
office doors.
No
word on
surveillance
cameras or
other
restrictions
agreed to.
These are
Dujarric's
partners: the
A in the
Alliance.
, 
