As
Cambodia Moves
To Disband
Opposition,
US Speaks,
ICP Asked
UN, 4 Days Silent
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
October 16 – The UN has been
increasingly silent in the
face of the "crackdowns" that
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres urged an end to in
his World Press Freedom Day
video. On October 6, Inner
City Press asked Guterres'
still-holdover spokesman
Stephane Duajrric about
Cambodia's Hun Sen moving to
disband the opposition
Cambodia National Rescue Party
after arresting its leader,
Kem Sokha. The UN, which since
September 22 has displayed a
photo of Prak Sokhonn as the
foreign minister of "Cambodia
and the Grenadines," here,
had no comment, not even four
days after the question. On
October 16, the US State
Department through
spokesperson Heather Nauert
had this to say: "We are
deeply concerned by the
National Assembly’s passage of
amendments to Cambodia’s
Election Law today. If
ratified, these amendments, in
conjunction with the lawsuit
by the Cambodian Ministry of
Interior to dissolve the
Cambodia National Rescue Party
(CNRP), would effectively
disenfranchise the millions of
people who voted for the CNRP
in the 2013 and 2017
elections. Genuine competition
is essential to democracy and
to the legitimacy of the 2018
national elections.
History proves that
suppressing legitimate
political activity leads to
more long-term instability,
rather than less. We
urge government officials to
consider the serious
implications of their recent
actions.
We renew our call that the
leader of the CNRP—Kem
Sokha—be released from
prison." At the UN on October
10 Inner City Press asked
again, yielding a canned
comment. From the UN transcript:
Inner City Press: I'd
asked you last week on
Cambodia about this, the move
to decertify and disband the
opposition par… main
opposition party, National
Rescue Party. Various
other international actors
have denounced it. I'm
wondering, given the UN's role
in Cambodia, what is the UN's
position on it?
Spokesman: "I think, as
we've said, we have, we are
concerned and we continue to
be concerned about the, what
you could call the narrowing
of the democratic space in
Cambodia for political
parties, for media and
others. It's important
that any, in any place where
there's a preparation for
elections, there is an
environment that's free of
intimidation and that is
encouraging to political
discourse." We'll have more on
this. UN transcript of October
6 here: Inner City Press: Do
you have any statement in
your… in your book or binder
or whatever it is that you
have back there on Cambodia
moving to… to… to decertify
the main opposition
party? I know you’ve had
other comments in the past.
Spokesman: "Not at this
point, but I’ll get
something." Eight hours later,
nothing. Back on August 3,
Inner City Press asked
then-vacationing Guterres'
spokesman Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: Cambodia, I
know that the UN has a, you
know, has this Human Rights
Office there, so I wanted to
ask about… there’s a, there’s
a minister there who has said
publicly this week that people
that, that oppose the vote in
the upcoming year will be
beaten with bamboo sticks and
said that all civil servants
must support the ruling party
or lose their jobs.
There’s also an NGO called
Agape has been ordered out of
the country for reporting on
human trafficking and… of, of
child sex victims. So, I
wanted to know, what’s the UN
thinking…? [inaudible]
Spokesman: I’ll look
into those reports.
Obviously, as a matter of
principle, the
Secretary-General very much
supports the work of civil
society.
Seven
hours later, nothing. On May
11, Inner City Press asked
Guterres' holdover spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: In Cambodia,
Hun Sen, in a speech to
soldiers describing the
peacekeepers' deaths in CAR,
somehow said this would tie
this to the idea of civil war
in Cambodia. And his
quote… his direct quote was
that… that his… his party
should win all of the
elections in 2017, 2018, and
if you cr… if you protest the
results, quote, “you will be
cracked down on immediately by
the armed forces; I don't care
if war erupts”. Given,
one, just generally, what do
you think of such a
statement? And number
two, it's basically being
tied… At least what’s been
reported…
Spokesman: I haven't
seen the exact text of what
the Prime Minister said.
What I can say is that we are
extremely grateful for the
presence of Cambodian
peacekeepers, as we are with
the Moroccans and all the
others who provide
peacekeepers, especially in a
mission that is so fraught
with danger as the Central
African Republic. And,
from what we understand,
Cambodia has said they would
stand by its commitment and
continue the… the Cambodian
troops would stay in [the
Central African
Republic]. As for the
speech, since I haven't read
it, I'm not going to comment
on it.
Inner
City Press: Speaking
of speeches, what happened
with the Secretary-General's
London UNA-UK [United Nations
Association of the United
Kingdom]…
Spokesman: The video
should be posted very
shortly. We had some
technical issues with the
organizers, but we're putting
the video…
Inner
City
Press: What
about the tran… even just the
transcript?
Spokesman: No, we're not
doing transcripts. The
Secretary-General spoke off
the cuff. We will
provide the video, and you're
free to listen to it, if you
haven't already.
Inner City Press: I understand
it was for… it was a paid
entrance speech, and I just
wanted to know what are sort
of the protocols for that?
Spokesman: You know, it
was a nominal fee. I
think it's completely
appropriate for a charitable
organization, a not-for-profit
organization, such as UN… the
UN Association of UK, to ask
for nominal fee to recuperate
the cost of getting the
Westminster Hall and the
organizational costs. I
know there were discounted
tickets for students and
others.
Another recent
example is Thailand, on which
Inner City Press put questions
to Guterres' holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric on
May 3 and May 4. The May 5
answer, citing the UN human
rights presence in Geneva, is
below. From the May 3
transcript: Inner City
Press: in Thailand, an event
scheduled to be today was
disallowed by the military
junta. Meanwhile, in
Cameroon, there’s a
journalist, Ahmed Abba,
sentenced to 10 years for
reporting on the Boko Haram
conflict, and there’s an
Amnesty International report
on Nigeria. And I’m just
wondering, I did see António
Guterres’ statement. How
is the UN actually following
up on that to… on these three
cases or anything else you
say, to actually convey to
Governments that, at least on
one day a year, they shouldn’t
disallow journalist events?
Spokesman: I think on…
at no time should Governments
be putting any hindrance on
the work of journalists.
I will look into the specific
cases you mention, but I think
our… the Secretary-General’s
principled stand is elaborated
in his statement, and some of
these issues are being
addressed with… addressed
through more discreet channels
and others are being taken up
directly with Governments.
Inner City Press: I
guess in the… in the… in the
question, for example, the
Thailand one, it’s pretty
widely… it’s been widely
reported. Is the
Resident Coordinator
there? The, whoever… is
the UN presence there in the
country? Do they have a
response to it?
Spokesman: In most of
these countries, there’s also
a human rights presence, and I
would encourage you to check
with them.
Then on May
4, from the transcript:
Inner City Press: In Thailand,
there’s a well-known human
rights lawyer, Mr. Prawet
Prapanukul, who is now… who…
first, he was missing. I
was going to ask you yesterday
when he was missing.
He’s emerged, but he’s facing
150 years in jail for
insulting the king. And
so I wondered both… there’s a
specific case, but there’s a
more general principle.
What does the UN and the
Secretary-General think of
people being… facing jail time
of that length for insulting a
Head of State?
Spokesman: I will check
with our human rights
colleagues, see if they have
anything on that case.
Twenty
four hours later, nothing.
Then this, which we publish in
full: "Regarding your question
on Thailand, the UN Human
Rights Office is concerned
about continued tight
restrictions on the media in
Thailand following the 2014
coup. The Office has shared
these concerns with the
Government both privately and
publicly. Most recently, on 1
May 2017, the
military-appointed National
Reform Steering Assembly
(NRSA) approved a draft bill
on media licensing which was
criticised for a provision
which stated that anyone
operating without a licence
could be jailed for up to
three years. As a result of
pressure from human rights
groups and media
organisations, the NRSA
subsequently said it would
consider removing this
article. The UN Human Rights
Office remains concerned about
other elements of the bill
which could infringe upon the
media's ability to conduct
their work in free and
independent manner, without
restrictions.
The UN Human Rights Committee,
during the review of Thailand
in March 2017, raised concerns
on criminal defamation charges
brought against human rights
defenders, activists, and
journalists. It urges Thailand
to guarantee the enjoyment of
freedom of expression in all
forms. It also urges Thailand
to decriminalise defamation
and that the Government should
take into account that
imprisonment is never an
appropriate penalty for
defamation. The Committee also
urge Thailand to take all
measures to end prosecutions
against those charged for
exercising their freedom of
expression and provide
appropriate training to
judges, prosecutors, and law
enforcement personnel
regarding protection of these
freedoms."
Back on
March 30 after the UN's noon
briefing with only three
questioners (and without still-restricted
Inner City Press) on March 30,
the question again arises:
what is the bare minimum a
spokesperson should be
expected to do, for an
organization like the UN?
Should it include at least
providing some response to
Press questions submitted?
Despite only have to response
to the three questioner, two
hours after submission not one
of these, or outstanding
questions on Cameroon and
Western Sahara, was answered:
"These are four questions in
advance of the noon briefing,
to be answered at that time,
thanks in advance:
1) In Cambodia, opposition
leader Sam Rainsy has just
been sentenced to one year and
eight months in prison along
paying a fine to Hun Sen on
charges of “defamation.” This
coincides with the 20th
anniversary of the grenade
attack on a rally led by
Rainsy. What is the UN's
comment, and separately what
is it doing about this in
Cambodia? 2) On the DRC Congo:
1. Who found the bodies of
Sharp & Catalan? The UN or
the DRC authorities? 2. How
many bodies were found? Just
2, or 3? 3. Is the UN aware of
the status of Betu Tshintela?
Can the UN confirm that Betu's
body was found along with
Michael & Zaida? 4. How to
explain this discrepancy? 5.
Has the UN been to the site
where the bodies were found,
yes or no? 3) In light of
recent criticism that the UN
supports corrupt governments,
please explain / amplify the
UN's RC in Zimbabwe's
statement that “'Our role is
to support development in
Zimbabwe in partnership with
the government. We are behind
government' ... He said all
its efforts were done in
agreement with President
Robert Mugabe and his
government.” 4) Also, please
describe the vetting done in
connection with Sri Lanka
military deployments with UN
Peacekeeping missions in Mali
and elsewhere, given the UN's
own reports on military abuses
in Sri Lanka." We'll have more
on this.
On March 29, the UN was
providing two responses to
five Inner City Press
question, simply ignoring
questions on Cameroon,
corruption and Western Sahara?
Inner City Press on the
morning of March 29 asked the
UN's top three spokespeople
"questions in advance of the
noon briefing, to be answered
at that time: 1) What is the
Secretary General's comment on
Jordan rolling out the red
carpet for Sudan's Omar al
Bashir, subject to an ICC
arrest warrant for genocide?
2) Given that the UN Economic
Commission for Africa has had
to delay its meeting with
African finance ministers at
the Dakar meeting the 38th
floor is tracking due to
Morocco seeking to exclude the
Polisario, does the SG / DPA
think these developments move
the situation in Western
Sahara closer to a peaceful
solution and referendum? 3) In
one of two UN-related bribery
prosecutions in the US
District Court for the
Southern District of New York,
Ng Lap Seng's co-defendant
Jeff C. Yin is now engaged in
plea negotiations, as Ng Lap
Seng's trial draws near. Will
the UN be monitoring the trial
as to what it shows of UN
involvement, and what was done
regarding the DGACM official
who provided a falsified /
amended for “technical”
reasons document regarding the
proposed Macau convention
center? 4) Because UNanswered,
asking again: In Cameroon,
former UN legal adviser (in
UNAMA and elsewhere) Felix
Agbor Balla now, according to
a UK-based barristers'
organization, faces a military
trial with the death penalty
on the table for speaking out
about conditions in the
country's Anglophone areas,
where the Internet has been
cut for 71 days and counting.
Particularly given
Agbor-Balla's former position
as a UN legal expert, what is
not only the UN's comment, but
what is the UN doing to
attempt to ensure he receives
due process? Also, what about
the arrest of human rights
lawyer Robert Fon and his
transfer to Yaounde? Also,
yesterday your Office replied,
regarding the USG of DPI, “We
will announce arrivals and
departures as they occur.” Now
that your partner has arranged
a farewell for this USG for
March 30, what is the
rationale for your Office
refusing to confirm her
departure and the status of
recruiting a replacement? And
the unanswered questions
below."
To those
Inner City Press questions,
the UN Spokesman provided,
past 2:30 pm, only this --
"Regarding your question about
Omar al-Bashir, our position
on him remains
unchanged. We urge all
States, including the States
Parties to the Rome Statute of
the ICC, to abide by their
obligations. Regarding the
naming of senior officials, we
have announced two
appointments today (for the
Executive Director of WFP and
the High Commissioner for
Disarmament Affairs).
Other announcements will be
made in due course.
Regarding
Under-Secretary-General
Cristina Gallach, her position
will be filled by an
Officer-in-Charge upon her
departure while the process to
find a new
Under-Secretary-General for
Public Information continues."
So, nothing on Cameroon or
Morocco / Western Sahara /
ECA, nor other questions on UN
costs and corruption. We'll
have more on this.
Again, what
is the bare
minimum a
spokesperson
should be
expected to
do, for an
organization
like the UN? Should
it include, if a spokesperson
has no answer to a
journalist's questions at an
in-person briefing, e-mailing
an answer when it becomes
available? Not in today's UN
Spokesperson's office, at
least not for Inner City Press
which that Office evicted
from the UN Press Briefing
Room and then
the UN, and still
restricts. On March 7,
holdover Deputy Spokesperson
Haq wouldn't even explain why
he had not provided available
UN information,
video here. On March 6,
Inner City Press asked Deputy
Spokesman Farhan Haq about
Nepal. From the UN
transcript:
Inner City
Press: I know that the
UN used to have a mission in
Nepal, but there's been kind
of increasing problems in the
Madhesi and Tharu communities
there, including now today
people killed by security
forces. And it seems to
be politically there are
groups trying to
mobilize. So, I just
wondered, since the
Secretary-General talks about
preventative diplomacy, is the
UN actually looking at this
growing problem in
Nepal? And does it have
any idea of trying to somehow
get involved as well as
commenting on the killing of
unarmed individuals by the
security forces?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
of course, we want to make
sure that any excessive use of
force will be
investigated. Beyond
that, we're monitoring the
situation. If there's
anything further down the
line, we'll let you know at
that point.
"We'll let you know." Well,
the UN Office in Nepal put out
a statement that it is
"seriously concerned by the
escalation of tensions in the
lead-up to the local elections
announced for May," which
others (not in the UN) then
sent to Inner City Press. From
the UN's two holdover
spokesmen, nothing. On March
7, Inner City Press asked Haq
why he hadn't followed through
on his "if there's anything
further down the line, we'll
let you know" line. From the March 7
transcript:
Inner City
Press: yesterday I’d
asked you about Nepal, and you
said, you know, “I’ll get back
to you if something comes
out”. Something actually
did come out from the office
of Nepal. So I… maybe
you’ll read it from here, but,
like… wasn’t that… when you
say “I’m gonna get back to
you”, does it mean I’m going
to send you something if the
UN system provides the
information? Like, what
happened?
Deputy Spokesman: It
means exactly what it
means. We’ve been
dealing with each other for
years. You’ll get
answers down the line once we
get them.
Inner City Press: So do
you have… you’re unaware that
the office of Nepal has
actually put out a statement
about the incident I asked you
about yesterday, or do you
have that?
Deputy Spokesman: I’m
aware that they’ve put out a
statement. That was
after I was at the
briefing. If it was
before the briefing, we could
have mentioned it then.
Inner City Press: Right,
but since… between the two
briefings, like, once they put
it out.
Beckett.
Or Pinter. This is similar to
lead spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, when Inner City
Press asked last week about
the abuse of Anglophones in
Cameroon, not even asking or
providing a response from the
Department of Political
Affairs, whose Jeffrey Feltman
in a rare Q&A session on
March 6 said that ONUCA's
Francois Lonseny Fall had
visited the region. Lazy spox,
indeed. UNacceptable. We'll
have more on this.
Earlier (2016) here.
***
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