After
UN Evicts ICP,
Ban's Spox
Says "You've
Been Afforded
A Lot of
Courtesies"
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
21 -- Contrary
to what the UN
says about
freedom of the
press, and
despite a petition
signed by 1400 people and opposition from the Government
Accountability
Project and
several
Permanent
Representatives
at the UN and
members of
Congress in
DC, UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on
April 16 threw
five boxes of
Inner City
Press'
journalistic
files out onto
First Avenue.
Photo
here;
video here and here
(Periscope).
This
followed eight
of Ban's
guards, at the
direction of
his "Public
Information"
chief Cristina
Gallach,
physically
throwing Inner
City Press
onto First
Avenue, and
its laptop on
the sidewalk,
on February
19. Audio
here.
Inner City
Press: I’m
going to again
try to do this
politely, but
I want to ask
this
question.
In the audit,
of the OIOS
(Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services)
audit, one of
the longest
sections in
terms of Ng
Lap Seng
affiliates
concern
South-South
News.
They described
five separate
engagements
with the UN,
and each party
is saying we
didn’t really
know or we…
we’re… you
know, and the
recommendation
that you’re
aware of to…
to take a
closer look at
this
relationship.
So I wanted to
know,
yesterday, or…
or some…
earlier this
week,
South-South
News put out a
press release,
sent to many
people, and
they said, “It
is disgraceful
that a few
independent
journalists
are exhibiting
a lack of
professionalism
and
irresponsibility,”
essentially by
questioning
this. So
my question to
you is… you
may or may not
have seen
this.
Reuters wrote
a story about
it.
Spokesman:
Yeah.
Inner City
Press:
Okay.
You’ve seen
it.
Here’s my
question.
Given all
this, given
that the
indictment
came out in
October, six
months ago, I
went upstairs
yesterday, and
I see that
South-South
News still has
a UN
office.
And
apparently,
you said it’s
under
review.
There seems to
be some due
process
rights.
What I want to
ask you
directly
is: How
can there be a
due process
right with an
institution
that’s charged
with bribery
when a smaller
institution,
Inner City
Press, was
physically
thrown out of
its office
with no due
process?
And my
question to
you is, given
that,
yesterday,
they tore a
sign of the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access (FUNCA)
off the door
without the
consent of the
office’s still
occupant,
who’s a member
of FUNCA, what
is the
intention?
And what would
you say to
those who say,
basically, if
you have
money, you get
due process at
the UN, up to
six months,
and if you
don’t, you get
two
hours?
What would you
say?
Spokesman:
I would say
that you’re
wrong, and I
think you’ve
been afforded
quite a lot of
courtesies.
Thank you.
On April
20, when Inner
City Press
arrived at the
UN's Visitors'
Entrance well
in time to
cover 10 am
meetings, a UN
Security guard
blocked its
way in to the
metal
detectors.
"I know
who you are,"
the guard
said, telling
Inner City
Press to go to
the back of a
long line of
visitors.
Since on all
previously
days
non-resident
correspondents,
like the
"affiliates"
who staff the
UN's food
venues and
even its UNTV,
are sent into
the glass
building with
the metal
detectors,
this new
"rule" was
noteworthy.
Inner City
Press: this is
on
access.
I’m going to
try to do it
as politely
and
productively
as possible,
but I wanted
to ask you
something.
This week I
was stopped at
the gate
coming in on
46th Street at
6 p. m. and
told that I
cannot enter
after 6
p.m. And
the rules say
7. So I
wanted to
know, today I
was told to go
to the back of
the line of
NGOs and was
told, “We know
who you are;
go to the
back.”
So it took
about 35
minutes to get
into the
building.
I call… you
said call MALU
(Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit), and I
did, and
nothing
occurred.
And so I’m
asking you,
because this
is injuring my
work.
And my final
piece is, when
a meeting such
as the one
between [John]
Kerry and Mr.…
Mr. Kerry and
Mr. [Javad]
Zarif takes
place, is
this… I wasn’t
able to get
through the
turnstile.
And so I
wanted to
know, this is
obviously a
newsworthy
event that
those with
white passes
can
cover.
How am I
supposed to
cover that?
Spokesman:
On those… on
the second
part… on the
last meeting,
I think you
should talk to
MALU and make
sure they get
you in.
Inner City
Press:
It…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
It’s a very
busy time of
the… at the
General
Assembly… at
the UN.
There’s a
line. I
think people
wait on line.
Question:
So you’re
saying the
media
generally,
because I’ve
seen people go
straight
through
the…
[inaudible] …
“I know who
you are; go to
the back of
the line,” so
I’m asking.
Spokesman:
I don’t manage
crowd
control.
If there’s a
line to get
in, if people
tell you get
in a line, you
get in a
line.
And on your
first part,
again, discuss
these things
with MALU and
DPI
(Department of
Public
Information).
(Later
on April 20,
DPI's MALU
tore the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
sign off S-303
without the
FUNCA member /
occupant's
consent and
apparently
moved to sell
off the space,
which was
immediately
and formally
opposed.)
Inner
City Press, as
Ban's
spokesman has
often advised
before walking
off the podium
even as Inner
City Press
asked
questions,
called the
Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit. But
ultimately
nothing was
solved --
Inner City
Press was only
able to enter
the UN 25
minutes late.
Thanks, Ban
Ki-moon, and
Cristina
Gallach --
also for BANning
Press access
to the
stakeout by
John Kerry and
Javad Zarif on
the JCPOA on
April 19,
here.
At the
noon briefing
on April 20
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
about these
and about
being BANned
at 6 pm. Vine
here.
Dujarric
cut in: "You
should talk to
MALU and make
sure they get
you in. It's a
very busy time
at the GA and
the UN,
there's a
line, people
wait on line.
I don't manage
crowd control,
if people tell
you to get on
line, I think
you get on
line."
So
there you have
it. When
another
(visiting)
journalist
asked about
waiting for
two hours for
a pass, with
500 people and
no water or
chairs for the
elderly, no
fire exits,
Dujarric was
more
conciliatory,
saying, "I
apologize and
will raise
with my
colleagues."
But when
Inner City
Press asked
about what an
NGO said was
the UN's
confiscation
of its
newsletter,
Dujarric said
curtly, "There
was no
confiscation."
Of course not
- everything
is FINE at the
UN. Just look
at the recent
patterns..
On April
18, Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
corruption,
and the files,
video
here, UN transcript
here:
Spokesman
Dujarric: I
will say, for
the record,
that your
files were not
moved out on
First
Avenue.
From what I
gather and
from watching
the live
broadcast over
the weekend,
you refused to
provide an
address for
them to be
shipped.
Inner City
Press:
Because I
don’t trust
them.
Spokesman:
Well, that’s…
but that’s
your choice.
Inner City
Press:
Why would
I? Would
you?
Spokesman:
That’s your
choice.
I don’t want
you to portray
that they’ve
been moved or
thrown out.
Inner City
Press:
They were
thrown out
onto First
Avenue.
Ban Ki-moon…
Spokesman:
I’ll come back
to you.
Between
6 and 7 pm on
April 18,
despite a
Media Access
"Guideline"
saying even
those with
non-resident
correspondent
status can
enter the UN
up to 7 pm, an
abusive UN
guard targeted
Inner City
Press,
apparently at
Gallach's or
Ban's
instructions,
claiming
falsely that
six pm is the
cut off. This
is today's UN.
In the
case of
Gallach and
ultimately Ban
Ki-moon, this
is retaliation
for Inner City
Press'
critical
coverage of
the UN
including
each's
involvement in
the Ng Lap
Seng bribery
scandal which
so far was
resulted in
four guilty
pleas.
"Macau SAR,
China, 25
August 2015: I
am pleased to
send greetings
to this
High-level
Multi-stakeholders
Strategy Forum
on Scaling-up
Global
Support for
South-South
and Triangular
Cooperation in
the Context of
the Post-2015
Development
Agenda."
As the
UN bribery
scandal
gathered force
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon called
for an audit
by the UN
Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services of
the Global
Sustainability
Foundation
(GSF), David
Ng Lap Seng's
Sun Kian Ip
Group and its
affiliates
including the
"World Harmony
Foundation"
and South
South News,
among others.
The
audit,
completed
early this
year but first
put online
by Inner City
Press,
directly
criticizes
Cristina
Gallach, the
Under
Secretary
General for
Communications
and Public
Information,
for example in
Paragraphs
20(b) and
37-40. She
should have
recused
herself.
Instead
Gallach has
ordered the
search and
eviction of
Inner City
Press' files,
on April 16.
She has
misrepresented
it to UN
Ambassadors of
major
countries
including
South Africa
and to Nobel
Prize winner
Jose Ramos
Horta.
She and / or
Ban Ki-moon
above her are
so intent on
permanently
restriction
Inner City
Press' ability
to cover
corruption at
the UN that
they had there
functionary
head of MALU
write to Inner
City Press at
1:30 AM on the
morning of the
eviction,
limiting the
Press' ability
to document
the seizure of
its files:
From:Tal
Mekel<mekel@un.org> Date:
Sat, Apr 16,
2016 at 1:30
AM Subject:
Saturday
access To:
matthew.lee@innercitypress.com
Dear Matthew,
Access on Saturday is 'exceptional' in nature (as Green Ps do not have access to UNHQ on weekends save for an official event being convened e/g. emergency SC meeting) and is solely for the purpose of over sighting the removal of your belongings.
You may bring with you one (1) individual, again on a exceptional basis.
Best, Tal
------------------------------------------------ Tal Mekel Acting Chief Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit United Nations - S-250 New York, NY 10017
Earlier on April 15, Mekel had told Inner City Press that a two-person film crew was approved. This was revoked at 1:30 am, precluding the crew. And yet...
Gallach, the highest UN official of Spain, has by her no due process orders BANned Inner City Press from covering even UNSC meetings on Western Sahara. This is retaliation and censorship.
On the afternoon of April 15 Inner City Press was told that it
will be UN staff going through the files but that then they will be
given to, and impounded for some time by, a third party or parties whom
the UN won't even name to Inner City Press.
As one wag put it, maybe they'll just keep passing them along.
Gallach's Team heard on April 15 from Capitol Hill to maintain the status quo. Did they even tell Ban Ki-moon, his chief of staff or deputy? Is this what allows Ban Ki-moon to (try to) say, "That is not my decision"? We'll have more on this.
, 
