| In
Bangladesh As Arakan Times
Journalists Are Threatened UN
Guterres Silent and Bans Press
By Matthew
Russell Lee, CJR Letter
PFT Q&A
UN GATE, August 5
– On Bangladesh, back in
September 2018 Inner City
Press asked the UN, did Mirza
Fakhrul Islam
and the BNP
hiring
lobbyists in
order to meet
with the UN
of Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, as Cameroon
did?
Now
Guterres and his spokespeople
have in months not
answered a single one of Inner
City Press' 800 questions,
including about why he covered
up his links to China
Energy Fund Committee whose
Patrick Ho has been convicted
of UN bribery.
Now in
August 2021, Guterres is
typically silent on the abuse
of Rohinga journalists
Sayful
Arkane
and Mohammad
Aziz Arkane.
On August
2, the brothers, who cover
Rohingya refugees for the
YouTube channel of Rohingya
news website The Arakan Times,
participated in a meeting
between Rohingya refugees,
U.N. officials, and officials
with the office of
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief
and Repatriation Commissioner
in Nayapara refugee camp in
Cox’s Bazar in southeast
Bangladesh, to discuss changes
to food ration cards following
protests over the issue,
according to Mohammad Aziz
Arkane and video of the
meeting. Immediately
following the meeting, an
officer with the office of
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief
and Repatriation Commissioner
ordered police to arrest
Mohammad Aziz Arkane, the
journalist said.
He said
that a police officer grabbed
him, put a hand over his mouth
to prevent him from screaming,
and pulled him backward but
that he was able to struggle
free. Since then, he
said that he and his brother
have fled to separate hiding
places to avoid police
detection. He told CPJ that
police have repeatedly called
him since August 2 and
demanded his location.
At approximately 2:00 p.m. on
August 2, officers with the
Armed Police Battalion raided
the brothers’ family home in
Nayapara refugee camp,
interrogated their parents as
to their whereabouts, and said
that they were searching for
them due to their journalistic
activities, according to
Mohammad Aziz
Arkane. Since
August 2, officers with the
same unit have visited the
brothers’ home multiple times
a day searching for the two
journalists, Mohammad Aziz
Arkane said. When they visited
today, they demanded from the
brothers’ parents a bribe of
100,000 taka (US$1,179) in
order not to file a criminal
case against the brothers in
retaliation for their
journalistic activities,
according to a person familiar
with the case.
This after
a meeting with the UN - no
back up, from the UN of
Guterres, who himself orders
attacks on and bans against
the Press.
So too, Guterres
was silent on the killing of
journalist Borhan Uddin
Muzakkir. On February 19, in
the Companiganj area of
Bangladesh’s southern Noakhali
district, police and armed
demonstrators opened fire
during clashes in the street
between two factions of the
ruling Awami League party,
each of which is seeking power
in the Companiganj area.
At least nine people were shot
at the demonstration,
according to that
report. A bullet from an
unidentified shooter hit
Muzakkir, a reporter covering
the clashes for the news
website Barta Bazar and the
newspaper Bangladesh Samachar,
in the throat. He died of his
injuries the following
evening.
Back on December 31,
2018 , after Inner City Press
now banned from entering the
UN by Guterres for 965 days
and counting, asked in
writing: "December 31-4: What
is the SG's comment and action
on the allegations of
electoral fraud in Bangladesh,
the lock up of opposition
figures and jailing for as
little as posting parody
songs?" Guterres has gone
forward with another
Kafka-esque denial of Press
access, here.
Now a Bangladeshi journalist
has been arrested and another
is a fugitive after they
reported on voting
irregularities. Hedayet
Hossain Mollah of the Dhaka
Tribune newspaper was detained
Tuesday evening under the
digital security law after he
reported that in one
constituency 22,419 more
ballots than the number of
registered voters were
cast.... Some voters were told
not to enter the polling
places, their votes have
already been cast for them,
after the government has shut
the opposition's website and
dozens of media, Inner City
Press can report that in
November 2017 even after the
arrest of Patrick Ho the UN
took CEFC's $1 million dollars
and awarded it to Bangladesh
firms. And while Guterres
tried even then to conceal his
links, his Deputy SG Amina J.
Mohammed even after Ho's
arrest for UN bribery had
remarks delivered at the
corrupt event, see here.
Still
there was
silence from
Guterres, now
on a murky
publicly
funded junket
with a major conflict
of interest.
Now on
December 29,
this new low:
"Rapid Action
Battalion
(RAB) Legal
and Media Wing
Director Mufti
Mahmud Khan
said this at a
press
conference
held at RAB’s
media centre
in Karwan
Bazar on
Saturday... RAB
has already
arrested 35
people for
spreading
rumours
surrounding
the election,
he added. Mufti
Mahmud Khan
said the eight
people were
detained last
night for
spreading
rumors. They
created videos
in the form of
their own
documentaries,
and were also
promoting
parody songs
and publishing
them on
various
websites,
Facebook pages
and YouTube."
Oh, parodies and
songs
on social
media leading
to reprisals?
This is right
down Guterres'
alley. At
noon on
December 26,
Inner City Press
asked in writing Guterres'
spokes-/ hatchment
who had it
roughed up and
banned
Stephane
Dujarric:
"December
26-2: On
Bangladesh
what is the
SG's comment
and action on
the blocking
of opposition
and media
websites in
the run up to
the Dec 30
“election”?
Dujarric sent
no answer
or even acknowledgment
of receipt
for more than seven
hours,
including to
questions
about Guterres' own
corruption.
Then after
midnight,
this: "The
Secretary-General
in the run-up
to the 30
December
general
elections in
Bangladesh
calls on all
stakeholders
to ensure an
environment
free of
violence,
intimidation
and coercion
before, during
and after the
elections, so
as to enable a
peaceful,
credible and
inclusive
poll.
All
Bangladeshi
citizens,
including
minorities and
women, must
feel safe and
confident in
exercising
their right to
vote. Civil
society and
electoral
observers
should be
fully
supported to
play their
role in the
process.
The
Secretary-General
reiterates the
continued
commitment of
the United
Nations to
support a
peaceful and
democratic
Bangladesh.Stéphane
Dujarric,
Spokesman for
the
Secretary-General, New
York, 27
December
2018." What
double talk.
In
September amid reports that
Guterres, so often silent on
conflicts in countries which
can do him favors like
Cameroon on the UN Budget
Committee, had invited
oppositionists to New York to
meet him, Inner City Press on
September 14 asked in writing:
"has Mirza Fakhrul Islam been
invited to NY to meet SG
Guterres and if so, for what
purpose, and when? This is a
request to cover any such
meeting." Guterres amid Inner
City Press' questions about
his inaction on Cameroon and
his spending of public funds
had Inner City Press roughed
up on July 3 and banned from
the UN since. While leaving 38
other questions unanswered,
Guterres' Deputy Spokesman
Farhan Haq on Bangladesh
answered, "On your question on
Bangladesh, we can say the
following: Assistant
Secretary-General Miroslav
Jenca met with BNP
Secretary-General Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today in
New York at the request of
BNP. DPA is routinely
contacted to meet with various
political actors in many
countries, and this request
was no exception. In view of
upcoming elections in
Bangladesh, we appeal to all
sides to ensure a conducive
environment for transparent,
credible, inclusive and
peaceful elections." We said
we'd have more on this, and on
September 18 before another
noon briefing Inner City Press
remained banned from by
Guterres, Inner City Press
asked Guterres' lead spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, in writing,
"September 18-5: On
Bangladesh, and lobbying at
the UN, what is the SG's
rsponse to “Mirza Fakhrul
started for London on Friday
and met Tarique there before
flying back home. The BNP
reportedly had hired a US
lobbyist firm for arranging
the meetings, though the party
claims Mirza Fakhrul travelled
there at the invitation of UN
Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres.” Did the SG know if
Fakhrul or BNP hired a
lobbyist to set up the
meeting? Did the SG know about
the Squires Patton Boggs
contract by Cameroon before
his July 11 meeting?" So far,
as usual with Dujarric despite
the claims of Guterres' Global
Communicator Alison Smale, no
answer. The UN under Guterres
is turning into an opaque
sinkhole of lobbying and
censorship. Watch this
site. On the Rohingya,
after a long delay Guterres in
April named as the UN envoy to
Myanmar Christine
Schraner
Burgener. As
she issued
a glowing read
out of her first
visit to the
country, it was
next door
Bangladesh and
not the UN which
announces that
Guterres and the
World Bank's Jim Kim
would
visit there on
July 1. On
July 3
Guterres had
Inner City
Press ousted
from the UN,
and on July 5
entirely banned
pending a
review of the
"incident" -
his own
Security
officers'
abuse of the
Press. Fox
News story here,
GAP blogs I
and II.
On August
17, Guterres though
his Global
Communicator
Alison Smale
issued a
lifetime ban
on Inner City
Press, putting
the UN into
the US Press Freedom
Tracker. Now on
August 28,
with Inner
City Press
still having
to cover this
beat from the
street in
91 degree
heat, Guterres
gave a
speech to the UN
Security
Council.
Outside, Inner
City Press
asked the
Permanent Representative
of Kuwait
Mansour
Al-Otaibi if
he thought
things have gotten
better
since the
Council's
trip. No, he
said with
candor.
Inner City
Press asked the
Permanent Representative
of Bangladesh
Masud Bin
Momen if his
government is
still
going ahead
with plans for
an island for
Rohinga.
Yes, he said, but not
this monsoon. "We
have more lead
time. Video
here. Guterres was
joined
in
speechifying
to the
Security Council on
Myanmar by
Tegegnework
Gettu. Who is
he? Well, since due
to Guterres'
outrageous
censorship
order we have
time:
Inner
City Press in
2014 reported
on then-head
of the UN
Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management Tegegnework
Gettu calling
female critics
"emotional,"
here, whistleblowers
afraid of retaliation
tell Inner
City Press
that Gettu has
continued his
"shenanigans"
at UNDP.
Inner
City Press then
exclusively
published
internal UNDP
(“Atlas”)
travel
vouchers
leaked to it
by scared
whistleblowers,
reflecting
among other
things Gettu
coincidentally
putting in for
$11,000 travel
expenses. Seedocuments
here, on
Scribd. We'll
have more on
this.
At
UNDP, Gettu's
$11,000 Trip
Documents
Leaked to
Inner City
Press, He Told
Staff, I'm
Warning You by Matthew
Russell Lee on
Scribd
Previously, multiple
sources informed Inner
City Press
that Gettu
told
complaining
staff "I am
warning you,"
cutting them
off while
saying We are
all equal,
including me."
Really? Leaked
audio
exclusively
put online by
Inner City
Press here.
Inner
City Press
asked, What
will Secretary
General Antonio
Guterres do?
Now we know:
sell out the
Anglophones of
Cameroon, have
the Press
which reports
on it roughed up and
banned for
life, and
flying to
China.
Guterres'
blithe
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric on
August 23 said the
basis of
the ban is
"behavioral."
Really?
Criticizing
him, his boss
and the UN? On
August
23 MSF issued
this: "Over
the past year,
Doctors
Without
Borders/Médecins
Sans
Frontières
(MSF) teams
have provided
more than
656,000
consultations
to Rohingya
refugees
through 19
health
facilities and
mobile clinics
across Cox’s
Bazar
district.
At first, more
than half of
MSF’s patients
were treated
for
violence-related
injuries, but
other health
concerns soon
emerged,
linked to the
overcrowded
and unhygienic
conditions in
the camps.
Dire living
conditions
have been made
even worse by
the relentless
rains. Teams
have treated
more than
61,256 cases
of acute
watery
diarrhea,
which remains
one of the
biggest health
issues in the
camps.
“In an area
where cyclones
and monsoons
are common,
there are
almost no
stable
structures for
Rohingya
refugees,
which has a
tangible
impact on
their security
and dignity,”
says Pavlo
Kolovos, MSF
head of
mission in
Bangladesh.
"The
infrastructure
to meet even
the most basic
needs of the
population is
still not in
place, and
that seriously
affects
people’s
well-being.”
Under the
pretext that
the Rohingya
will soon be
returning to
Myanmar, the
humanitarian
response has
been hampered
by
restrictions
placed on the
provision of
long-term or
substantial
aid. The
conditions
endured by the
Rohingya in
the makeshift
camps fall far
short of
accepted
international
humanitarian
standards,
with the
refugees still
living in the
same temporary
plastic and
bamboo
shelters that
were built
when they
first arrived.
People living
in the camps
feel
vulnerable and
exposed. “When
it rains we
sit together,
all our family
members,
[holding the
house down] so
the house
won’t blow
away,” a
Rohingya
refugee told
MSF. “At night
it is very
dark here, we
have no
lights.”
While
Bangladesh
showed
extraordinary
generosity by
opening its
doors to the
refugees, the
future for the
Rohingya
community here
remains
uncertain.
Countries in
the region
deny them any
formal legal
status,
despite the
fact that they
are refugees
and have been
made stateless
by Myanmar.
They have
limited access
to justice to
defend their
rights. “By
refusing to
acknowledge
the legal
rights of
Rohingya as
refugees, or
granting them
any other
legal status,
intervening
governments
and
organizations
keep them in a
state of acute
vulnerability,”
says Kolovos.
In addition,
the Rohingya
remain
forcibly
confined to
the camps,
where they
generally have
poor access to
clean water,
latrines,
health care,
education, and
job
opportunities.
Considering
the level of
violence that
the Rohingya
faced in
Myanmar and
the trauma
this has
caused,
services to
treat people
for mental
health issues
and sexual and
gender-based
violence
remain
inadequate."
And what is
the UN
doing, other
than censoring
and banning
the Press?
Traveling to
China, of
course, as
Guterres is
slated to do
Sept 1-4.
Watch this
site. On
July 23,
while Guterres
was
on his
last vacation
and his Communicator
Alison Smale iwas
incommunicado,
Sweden as president
of the Security
Council
managed a press
encounter with
Guterres
envoy Christine
Schraner
Burgener from
which Inner
City Press was
banned. Here
now the real
deal: "Her
job as she
told inside UN
sources is to
keep good
relations with
the regime.
Gueterres
picked her
because she
will not rock
the
boat.
Her husband
Christoph is a
former Swiss
ambassador to
Yangon. He
attempted to
sell tourism
[and] use [of]
Swiss
airplanes to
Myanmar
generals
before the
sham election
of 2010.
After 2012
programs in
Rakhine the
Swiss
government
sponsored the
visit of a
Rakhine
demagogue who
called for
Muslim
cleansing of
Rakhine.
His name is
Vet surgeon Dr
Aye
Maung.
He met with
Myanmar
generals, four
weeks before
the Aug 25
military
terror.
Gueterres
himself backs
these cowardly
unprincipled diplomats. All
UN
agencies and
heads in Myanmar
(UNDP,
UNHCR, WFP,
UNFPA
and resident
coordinators
kowtow
to Suu kyi and
are complicit
in
genocide.
Guterres was
informed about
the complicity
and he refused
to open any
internal
investigation." Inner
City Press had
previously
reported this,
from other
sources, before it
was assaulted
by Guterres'
Security,
ousted and now
banned.
On July
23
Schraner
Burgener got
asked about the
UN's MOU -
but not by
what right the
UN kept it
confidential.
She claimed
that the
government if
fine with the return
of the
Rohingya, it
is only
conditions in the
community
which delay
it. She
praised Aung San Suu
Kyi as
flexible. She
got
asked about
the "Reuters
reporters" by
one silent and
in fact
complicit with
UN's roughing
up, ouster and
ban of Inner
City Press.
Then it was
over. Meanwhile this
on his UN
system's MOU: "The
Burma Task
Force (BTF)
has condemned
the recently
agreed
Memorandum of
Understanding
(MoU) between
the United
Nations and
the Myanmar
government as
a non-starter.
The agreement,
recently made
public, claims
to establish a
“framework for
cooperation”
on the
Rohingya
crisis, but
excludes the
critical
issues of
citizenship,
security, and
accountability
for crimes
against
humanity
committed by
the Myanmar
government.
Consequently
it has drawn
widespread
criticism from
Rohingya
refugees and
international
observers
alike. According
to critics of
the agreement,
the Myanmar
government has
proven its
unwillingness
to engage in
good-faith
negotiations
through its
refusal to
restore
citizenship to
over a million
Rohingya
Muslims.
Without
citizenship,
basic rights
to security,
property, and
livelihood are
effectively
non-existent.
Moreover,
Rohingya
leaders
themselves
were not
consulted in
the
development of
the agreement... Over
700,000
Rohingya
Muslims live
in the world's
largest
refugee camp
located
outside Cox's
Bazar,
Bangladesh.
There, they
join hundreds
of thousands
of existing
Rohingya
refugees in
the country
who fled from
earlier spasms
of violence in
Myanmar.
Officially
deprived of
their
citizenship
since 1982,
the Rohingya
have been
subject to
several
successive
waves of
pogroms and
military
assaults. Most
recently, in
the summer of
2017 some
700,000
unarmed
Rohingya
civilians were
expelled from
Myanmar
through a
massive
military
offensive." And from
another group: "we are
also deeply
concerned
about UN
agencies
speculating
about the
‘safety of
Rohingya
people.’
UNHCR, UNDP
and other UN
agencies have
not been able
to establish
safe
conditions for
Rohingya since
previous
repatriations.
In fact the
situation has
deteriorated
under the
watch of the
UN in Myanmar.
Troublingly,
UN leadership
in Myanmar has
a poor track
record on the
ground with
respect to
Rohingyas’
need for
international
protection."
Today's UN under
Guterres is failing. At
it turns out
this is during
an eleventh
hour UN budget
showdown
on Guterres'
ostensible
reforms, which the
investigative
Press is restricted
from covering,
see below. On
July 2 Inner
City Press
asked
Guterres' deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq
about his claim
the UN Peacekeeping
numbers were "approved"
on Sunday,
with Inner
City Press barred from the
building and
no open
meeting on
UNTV, and
about Sheikh Hasina's
plan to move
Rohingya to an
island. Haq repeated
the "approved"
claim, rather
than stating
Guterres view
of the island
directed Inner City
Press to the
belated
transcript of
Guterres'
Q&A in Bangladesh.
But that UN transcript
does not
even
purport to
show what the
question
was.
Here it is:
"Q: On
Memorandum of
Understanding,
and on island. SG:
First of all,
in relation to
the MOU, I
think I have
already
clearly
responded.
This was a
first step,in
which the UNDP
and the UNHCR
tried to force
the government
of
Myanmar
to recognize a
number of
rights to try
to pave the
way for a
potential
future
return.
It must be
considered not
as a final
agreement on
return or
anything of
the sort. I
was informed
that the
Government of
Bangladesh is
investing in
creating
conditions for
the
development of
one island; as
the silt moves
new islands
are being
formed in the
coast of
Bangladesh.
So, there is
this project.
Obviously,
UNHCR has been
in contact
with the
government and
offered to do
an assessment,
to see when
these works
are concluded
how the
conditions
exist in order
to allow for a
possible
important
support of
that
infrastructure
to the
Rohingyas in
Myanmar. But,
for the
moment, we
have no more
information
except that
indeed the
Government is
investing in
this island to
create
facilities
that can serve
I believe also
several other
purposes. We
see with a lot
of interest
any initiative
of the
Government of
Bangladesh in
this regard,
because the
living
conditions
here are of
course, as you
have seen,
extremely
difficult." So
Guterres is OK
with it?
And as
Inner City
Press has
asked
Guterres' Office of
the
Spokesperson
without
answer, is the
MOU
public or
confidential,
like Guterres'
billion dollar
"approvals"?
Inner
City Press' sources
among senior
Guterres
official describe
him as having
long rebuffed
staff
suggestions to
speak out
about attacks
on Rohinga,
based on
Guterres'
mis-placed faith in
Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Guterres'
actual history
makes a
mockery of his
quote
in Bangladesh
that "We're
keeping up
pressure on
Myanmar...we
need to put
more pressure
on Myanmar to
make them
understand
what they
should do on
this issue."
Really? When
has Guterres
stood up to
Aung San Suu
Kyi? Or
even Sheikh who
"said the
government is
preparing an
island to
relocate
around 100,000
Rohingyas." What
has Guterres
said about
that? Watch
this site. Typically,
the UN at first
refused to
even confirm
what
Bangladesh
said.. On
June 21, Inner
City Press
asked Guterres'
deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq, UN
transcript here: Inner
City Press:
the Myanmar
envoy. I
wanted to ask
you to confirm
that the
Secretary-General
will be in
Bangladesh in
Cox's Bazar in
early
July.
The Foreign
Ministry of
Bangladesh has
announced
that, that
he'll be there
with Jim Yong
Kim of the
World
Bank.
They've talked
about the
specifics of
World Bank
funding.
So, given that
they've said
that, will you
confirm it?
Deputy
Spokesman:
At this stage,
as you know,
with all
trips, once we
have an
announcement
ready, we'll
announce
it. We
don't have
anything to
announce at
this stage.
Inner City
Press:
And I also
wanted to ask
you, relate…
in the same…
in Cox's
Bazar, a
well-known
Rohingya
spokesperson/representative,
Arifullah, was
hacked to
death.
And I wanted
to know, is
there any… I
mean, given
that the UN is
present in
these camps,
who's
responsible
for it?
What will be
done about
it?
What's your
comment on it?
Deputy
Spokesman:
We are aware
of these
latest
reports, which
are
disturbing.
Obviously, we
would hope
that the local
law
enforcement
authorities in
Cox's Bazar
investigate
this
thoroughly." What
is the UN for?
Why
is Guterres'
UN so
untransparent?
At 2 am local
time on Sunday,
July 1
Guterres
arrived in
Dhaka via
Qatar Airlines, with
his spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric who on June 19
provided
a private UN
Press Briefing
Room Q&A to Qatar's
Al Jazeera, here,
leading to
claims that
Inner City Press covering
it, from the
hall, was
too aggressive.
On June 22
Guterres'
armed guards
ousted Inner
City Press
during an
event at which
Guterres
gave a speech
about a previous
trip, separating
Inner City Press from its
laptop for
three days. Video
here,
story here,
new
petition here.
Dujarric
then rejected
questions
about it, and
Guterres and his
team have not
replied. In Dhaka
they headed to
the Radisson
Blu Water
Garden. We'll
have more on this.
***
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