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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon IMF UN DSS
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UN GATE, May 9 – Inner City Press on 5 July 2018 was banned from entering the UN, two day after it was physically removed from conducting interviews outside meeting about the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' $6.7 billion budget.

  Then Guterres' Department of Global Communication, run by Melissa Fleming, issued a letter banning Inner City Press from the UN - for life. With no due process, no right of appeal.  Guterres has put the UN in the US Press Freedom Tracker, here. Guterres' Spokesman Stephane Dujarric falsely promised on camera that he would be answering banned Inner City Press' questions - but see below.

     On May 9 after Guterres again refused to answer but the IMF did answer, May 6 here, Feb 25 here, Feb 4 here, here, before not Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric, previously the face of UN lies on cholera in Haiti, and notAssociate "Spokesperson" Florencia Soto Nino who blocks Press on WhatsApp, nor equally censoring Associate Eri Kaneko, nor UN Spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay - but rather rape-denying Deputy Farhan Haq, held a briefing before which Inner City Press submitted yet more questions - Inner City Press has asked the above, and Guterres and his new chief of staff Courtenay Rattray and others:

These written question are posed and responses requested pursuant to the until-now broken commitment the the UN will "continue to answer e-mailed questions from Mr Lee" Inner City Press, here

April 5-1: on China in Africa, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that police in central Uganda have detained a Chinese national over a Tuesday morning road crash that killed two schoolchildren and left three others injured. In a statement, police said Zhao Haizhanga allegedly knocked the pupils at Kamusenene village along Lubaali- Bukuya road in Kassanda district, as he attempted to overtake a truck loaded with logs.

April 4-1: Immediately provide the response of SG Guterres (and CdC Rattray et al) to this, also sent to Inner City Press about ESCWA here

What are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and US ICE moving to deport an asylum seeker from North Korea?

Jan 11-1: Beyond the unanswered UN child rape question put to each of you on Jan 10, 2023, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on, in Ethiopia, that Daniel Tesfaye, Bizuayehu Wendimu, Bereket Daniel and Nahom Hussien, who work for the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), were arrested on Thursday while investigating cases of forced evictions in the capital Addis Ababa. They were accused of not having the necessary permission to carry out their work

Jan 10-1: on deadline provide all if-asked information about the new cases of UN sex abuse data dumped this morning on the Conduct and Disclipline website, including CHILD RAPE by a "civilian" UN staffer in CAR in 2022 - why is the nationality not given? What has been done for the victim(s)? 

Dec 22-1: On Cameroon and press (un) freedom, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately USG Fleming on that After being in detention for more than six years and his trial inexplicably adjourned more than 100 times, the former head of Cameroon's public broadcaster has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Amadou Vamoulké was arrested under Operation Sparrowhawk, which critics say has been used by President Paul Biya's government to lock up people seen as problematic

No answer - and no more briefings in 2022. Today's UN is totally corrupted.

Dec 13-1: Immediately provide all additional ("if-asked") information about the new UN sexual abuse cases data dumped this morning on the UN Conduct and Discipline website, including child rape by a peacekeeper in Nepal. Photo here. What is being done for these victims? What accountability is there? 

Immediately disclose all payments and communications to UN and UN entities from Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX or Alameda, or affiliated foundations. 

What are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately USG Fleming on that the government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has “strongly” denounced what it calls the "illegal presence" of Rwanda-allied journalists in Congolese territory.

As audibly asked to SG Guterres on Dec 9 as he entered the event of UNCA, with IRIB as a member, what are his comments and actions on the 7000 migrant workers dead in Qatar for FIFA World Cup 2022, why did Guterres go there and say nothing? What are his comments on the arrest of EU parliamentarians including Eva Kaili for taking Qatar bribes? 

What are the comments and actions of SG Guterres and separately USG Fleming on that the General Directorate for Internal Security, France’s domestic intelligence agency, jhas issued summonses issued to journalists Benoît Collombat, Jacques Monin, and Geoffrey Livolsi

Dec 9-1: Again on UN "due process" and lies - immediately explain statements a week ago on Dec 2, 2022 that I am on a UN "banned" list, and that I can appeal through DSS, including DSS Michaud's failure to even confirm receipt of appeal I sent him (and each of you) on December 5. 

On UN sexual harassment and retalation and this decision  and UN staff telling Inner City Press that it "again stipulates the usual UNSOS practice where D1 can have sex with anybody particularly NS or contractors   What it is not normal that OIOS spend so much time for these things and the end nothing happens. Only if you have a car accident under the influence of alcohol or a prostitute reports a man for sex, you may have the risk to get fired. 

Dec 8-1: What are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on the release of arms trafficking (and sometime-UN partner) Viktor Bout, in exchange for US star Griner? Disclose all business on the UN with Bout and his companies.  Again, now will direct quote from USG Michaud, and more on appeal now to each of you, since DSS despite its statements to PGA's spokesperson has yet to confirm receipt of appeal: On appeal Inner City Press filed yesterday with USG Gilles Michaud and each of you, as UNPGA Csaba Korosi's spokesperson Paulina Kubiak said UN DSS Sergeant told her is the process, (1) confirm receipt, (2) explain why USG Michaud previously wrote that DSS' only role was to ensure that journalists whose accreditation was stripped by DGC did not enter -- see the message in Dec 7 questions, from Gilles Michaud gilles.michaud@un.org  and see UN Media Accreditation & Liaison Unit Guidelines for ‘Non- Resident Correspondents’ which states, at para 2a: “Non-Resident Correspondents can access UNHQ through the Visitors’ Entrance at 46th Street and 1st Avenue between 0800-1900 hours from Monday through Friday. Non-resident Correspondents only have access to UNHQ on weekends or after hours accompanied by a resident correspondent or when a meeting is advised as taking place. Entry will be allowed two hours prior to the start of the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the non-Resident correspondent must exit the premises within an hour, unless accompanied by a resident correspondent.” [Emphasis added.] The repeated use of the word “or” in the second sentence here: “weekends OR after hours accompanied by a resident correspondent OR when a meeting is advised as taking place” indicates that those conditions are alternatives, and in addition to the regular 8am to 7pm access in the previous sentence.   I had been on UN premises after 7pm on numerable occasions since he has been a ‘Non-Resident Correspondent’ in compliance with those rules, never being challenged by any of the DSS Security Officers who have observed him on each and every occasion he has done so. He has, in fact, been almost permanently escorted by a UN staff member (clearly oblivious of the considerable financial expense to the Organization) since February 2016. It is clear that the “risk” he presents is one of public scrutiny, which is hardly a legitimate matter for your department. The statement taken by officers Perry and Stancu does not record the time Mr. Lee entered the UN premises on 3 July, which he states was about 9:45am. The statement does however confirm that Mr. Lee was on the premises for the purposes reporting on a Fifth Committee Budget meeting. That meeting is understood to have run on until 4am the following morning, so it was clearly still going on at the time he was evicted. Mr. Lee’s statement also reflects his familiarity with the Guidelines indicating that he was required to leave the premises within an hour of that meeting concluding. The Media Accreditation & Liaison Unit guidelines - having been published by the UN and respected by Mr. Lee and other members of the press – must create a reasonable expectation that members of the press will not face harassment provided their activities remain complaint with them. The evidence suggests that Mr. Lee was doing that. Moreover, as is known to the MALU and as has been observed by your officers, he enjoyed that right peaceably and without criticism for 18 months. ST/AI/309 provides that “all persons on the premises are expected to comply with the directions that may be issued by the security officers in the performance of their functions” and that is not in dispute; but Mr. Lee was never given an opportunity to comply. Mr. Lee can be heard on the video repeatedly saying he was just typing, reporting on what he had been told by the Chairman of the meeting when he had his shirt torn by your officers. Your officers would certainly have been acting quite legally if Mr. Lee represented any kind of threat to the security of others or to the fabric of the building, but there is no credible information or independent assessment to support such a hypothesis. When interviewed, Mr. Lee insists that he tried to emphasise to Officer Perry that he was physically assaulted by your Security Officers before being afforded a reasonable opportunity to explain or refer to the MALU rules that apply to him, but Officer Perry declined to record that information. Moreover, Lt. Dobbins actions on 3 July cannot be considered without reference to the earlier incident of 22 June and Mr. Lee’s subsequent reporting of that event, which raises reasonable grounds to believe that Lt. Dobbins may not have been performing his duties or exercising his discretion in good faith. There does not appear to be any reason to believe that Mr. Lee had breached any rule or posed any threat when he was evicted.

As asked each of you on December 5, 2022: AGAIN, on UN's lack of press freedom and due process - immediately explain both the basis for UN Security at 801 1st Ave on the morning of Dec 2 tell me I am "banned" from entering the UN despite confirmed invitation to UN PGA Town Hall, and (2) the "appeals" process that DSS told PGA Spokesperson about to, conveyed to me.   Audio - 2:20 min version  Full 7 minutes  

Immediately provide the if-asked information including status of UN victims in the UN child rape case data dumped this morning on UN website, MINUSCA in April though September 2022, and state why the nationality of the civilian defendant is not disclosed, and why the defendant is still being paid- on deadline. 

Does UNSG Guterres or his resident coordinator share "serious doubts" about the credibility of Equatorial Guinea's election results that saw the world's longest-serving president continue his 43-year-rule. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, secured almost 95% of votes, according to election officials. "Given the scale of irregularities observed and the announced results giving the [ruling party] PDGE 94.9% of the vote, we have serious doubts about the credibility of the announced results

What is the response of SG Guterres and USG Fleming / MALU to this petition with over 10,000 signers urging restoring Inner City Press to resident correspondent status? 

See also, Inner City Press scoop on UNOV sex scandal in DRC, here.

On Colombia and UN corruption (and worse) on which each of you have refused to answer what now are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on these whistleblower complaints to Inner City Press

AGAIN on UN sexual exploitation and abuse immediately provide all additional if-asked information on the FOUR new sexual abuse cases data dumped on UN web site on August 23, 2022 at 10:01 am, including rapes by Mauritanian UN "Peacekeepers" in CAR, by Burundi and Cameroon, and Malawi in DRC - on deadline.

and nothing on rhino horn case we covered here 

& see new UN rapes, data dumped, unexplained

  On Cameroon what are the comments and actions of SG Guterres on the abduction / government disappearance of Muslim Anglophone activist and scholar Abdul Karim Ali in Bamenda? 

The information MALU sent out about access to UNGA 2022, apparently only to UNCA members, should be sent to others today, including Inner City Press which will be applying to enter to cover it, see here.

As separately asked of each of you on the morning of August 11, 2022, on UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request on the new cases of UN sexual exploitation data dumped on the UN website at 9:01 am on August 11, Rape in CAR by a "civilian," abuse by peacekeepers from Cameroon, South Africa, and "military" - explain why nationality withheld, and what if anything UN has done for victims 

Again, immediately explain the basis for banning me and Inner City Press from the UN and its briefings when not only the IMF on May 20, 2021 on Sudan and El Salvador, here, 

and IMF on June 10, 2021: on Tanzania and Cameroon  and on El Salvador

and Wilson Center on May 20, 2021 on North Korea, here, and also on March 26, 2021 the US State Department takes Inner City Press' questions, transcript here 

and May 27, 2021 "Briefing with Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Julie Chung On the Secretary’s Upcoming Travel to San Jose, Costa Rica," "Let’s go the line Matthew Russell Lee.  QUESTION: Sure. Thanks a lot and thanks for taking the question. I had wanted to ask specifically about Honduras. There have been a series of cases in the Southern District of New York where the brother of the president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, his brother Tony was convicted of drug trafficking," see here.

What is the response of SG Guterres' / USG Fleming to the letter sent to her and others by the Quinn Emanuel law firm regarding ending Press censorship?  See "answer" August 9, here: letter received, no change in status - no reply.

After repeated non-answers to the above, on August 9 UN Spokesperson Dujarric was asked "Quinn Emanuel wrote a letter to the UN asking about reinstatement of our colleague Matthew Lee into the UN press corps. Do you have any comment on that?        Spokesman:  No. All I can tell you is that we've received the letter, and I'm not aware of any change to his status... It's been received. Whether or not it's been answered, I don't know yet." How can the UN, which preached press freedom, not even answer a letter for a journalist from a major law firm? What is your answer? When will Inner City Press be restored to resident correspondent status, like various state media?

Explain how it is legitimate for SG Guterres' DGC / USG Fleming and MALU (cc-ed here) to block Inner City Press from even WebEx questions to UNSC President Ireland, whose Alternate Political Coordinator and Spokesperson Eoghan McSwiney wrote to Inner City Press, "We would refer your request for access to the UN and to UN press conferences to the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit of the UN Secretariat." You are engaged in censorship, no? 

What is the UN's response to Inner City Press' Sept 13 application to MALU incluing for WebEx access to hybrid press briefings during UNGA 76, as it has at the IMF? Beyond last night's interim response projecting a decision in one or day days?  From: malu  Date: Wed, Sep 15, 2021 at 8:02 PM Subject: Your U.N. eAccreditation Request has been RECEIVED     Greetings Matthew Lee,  This is to confirm the United Nations Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit (M.A.L.U.) at New York Headquarters has received your request for accreditation...  Upon processing, a notification email (to the email address registered with the request)will provide the status update, to confirm an approval or rejection, and any additional information which may be required. 

What reason could there be to deny this? Particularly given that only today Sept 16, Inner City Press put questions to the IMF on Guinea, Ukraine and Venezuela (see here and then to IFRC's Francesco Rocca, about Cameroon. If they take questions, how can the UN not now allow Inner City Press, at least for now by WebEx? And IMF on October 21, 2021 here. And US Buffalo NBC TV on Oct 26 here.

Also IMF answering Inner City Press on Nov 4, 2021 on Ethiopia, Zambia and Chad here

AGAIN: on Western Sahara, confirm or deny on deadline both that Khaoula Morchid was recruited for MINURSO under Colin Stewart, and separately Stewart's successor's relations with her

On UNRWA, confirm or deny a relation by then-head Grandi, the actions to silence taken by Lance Bartholomeusz - and that Grandi has even hired Bartholomuesz' wife at UNHCR (submitted here to Secretariat given the role(s) of DGC chief who has also refused to even answer friendly Quinn Emanual law firm letter since July 6, 2021.

AND YES YET ONCE AGAIN: On Ghislaine Maxwell, whose child sex trafficking trial started on Nov 29 in SDNY court and on whose Terramar Foundation board UN Partnership rep Amir Dossal was 1 of only 5 people, what is SG Guterres' response to and comments on "Ghislaine Maxwell’s family appeals to UN for her release from jail"?  Now on Dossal - state immediately whether or not he was representing the UN at Ghislaine Maxwell's 116 East 65th Street residence, along with his son Zecki?  And also: SG Guterres' comments and actions on the Jeffrey Epstein "fellowship" with IPI and Epstein's other UN-world connections - including UN engagement with IPI Bahrain, and Geir Pederson's meeting with Epstein. 

On Cameroon, on which each of your have refused to answer Inner City Press' questions about Ambazonia, what now are SG Guterres' comments and actions if any on that more than 30,000 people have fled from northern Cameroon to neighbouring Chad this week

 As asked to each of you on Dec 8, 2021 with no answer: "On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request on the new cases of UN sexual abuse by UN "peacekeepers" from Gabon in CAR in 2021  - including a CHILD RAPE -  data dumped at 12:01 pm on Dec 8, 2021 and not addressed at the noon briefing Inner City Press is banned from, along with another case in CAR by a "peacekeeper" from Burundi, and the previous UN child rape in CAR by UN "peacekeeping" troop Burkina Faso (Oct 19) and from Burundi - child rape! - and SEA by Tanzania troops in DRC data dumped at 12:02 pm on Oct 7, and earlier (unanswered) from Peru (Sept 29), Gabon and "the Congo" - and Nepal peacekeeper child rape in DRC - data-dumped at 10:07 am on July 21, 2021 that you immediately provide the "if asked" information" 

On Dec 1 MINUSMA itself sent Inner City Press a partial answer to a question about UN sex abuse that I asked each of your two weeks ago, without answer. 1) why is UNHQ engaged in a bigger cover up of sexual exploitation and abuse than its Missions? 2) where is the report and follow up referred to in MINUSMA's answer, which MINUSMA also emailed to all/most of you? 

Since new PGA spokesperson Kubiak has written to Inner City Press that she did not receive Inner City Press numerous written questions, please explain how the UN blocks addresses or confines Press questions to spam folders?

Again, why did SG Guterres omit from his personal financial disclosure covering 2016 funds he received from Gulbenkian Foundation which sought to sell its oil company to convicted UN briber CEFC China Energy? 

On Cameroon, Biya and COVID, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on that Only 3% of Cameroonians have received a first dose and 1.1% are fully vaccinated, according to Dr Malachie 

On UNCDF as Inner City Press asked each of you in August 2021 without any response, AGAIN, "what is the UN system's response to this, from a whistleblower? Ms Preeti Sinha the newly appointed UNCDF secretary was the business development officer in a Swiss based organization IHDLIFE SARL until October 2020, before that she handled the Secretariat of the same organization’s another vertical. She ran a small company FFD ventures  SARL but in the appointment news of Preeti Sinha she is projected as the CEO and president of FFD Ventures SARL which has raised millions of dollars to support Covid 19 response and other development work.  But the truth is far less 

On UN sex abuse - child rape! - on which each of you on Oct 25 refused written questions from Inner City Press, again: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request on the new case of UN attempted child rape by a UN "peacekeeper" from Morocco, location not even disclosed - why?  - data dumped at 12:03 pm during the noon briefing by Dujarric and Volker Perthes on Oct 25, 2021, and the previous UN child rape in CAR by UN "peacekeeping" troop Burkina Faso (Oct 19) and from Burundi - child rape! - and SEA by Tanzania troops in DRC data dumped at 12:02 pm on Oct 7, and earlier (unanswered) from Peru (Sept 29), Gabon and "the Congo" - and Nepal peacekeeper child rape in DRC - data-dumped at 10:07 am on July 21, 2021 that you immediately

On Honduras, what are SG Guterres' responses to Honduras President JOH mocking the narco trafficking evidence against him by inviting Netflix Narcos to read the SDNY transcripts?

Why is the new PGA Abdulla Shaheed not even disclosing how his campaign was and office is funded, including each staff member, as committed do after the PGA John Ashe scandal in SDNY? cc-ing Ms Grayley too

And, on ongoing censorship of Press by SG Guterres, USG Fleming and Spox Dujarric, to this petition with 9000+ signatures here

On Inner City Press' exclusive reporting into UNTSO's scandal of public sex in the UN van, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on this, from whistleblower: "the men in the UNTSO car have been charged with transporting a passenger who was not authorized and also for not co-operating with the investigation."  Inner City Press asked, "Thanks - I'd heard they were restored to full pay."  Answer: "Still suspended, but have been getting salary for a year.  Now they have been accused of conduct unbecoming."    Confirm or deny - and explain the long cover up, for/of Michael Antoine.

On Cameroon, what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres on the "Cameroon military opening fire at Christians in Bail/Ambazonia worshipping yesterday Sunday?    

On UNDT opacity, on which you have refused to answer, explain why on August 26, a supposedly "public" case was held - but the access link was dead, not only to Inner City Press but to the public at large: "UNDT/NBI/2020/022 (Mancinelli) The Applicant contests the Administration’s finding of misconduct and imposition of a disciplinary sanction against her." 

Given the Aug 24 UNDT case about UNDP Country Director Samuel Bwalya colluding / forging with Ethiopia's government, immediately state how many other cases of UN staff or officials colluding with Ethiopia's government the UN is aware of, and describe each.

On SG son Pedro Guimarães e Melo De Oliveira Guterres, explain how the business of Explorer Investments has been reviewed for conflicts of interest. Explain immediately how Pedro Guterres doing business with Rwanda while Antonio Guterres was UNSG was and is not a conflict, and what was disclosed and to whom.

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