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By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, song, II

UN GATE, April 26 – On Western Sahara, Inner City Press has repeatedly asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, his spokesmen and Communications chief Melissa Fleming about sexual harassment charges against his Special Representative Colin Stewart, which it has exclusively reported as credited here and even here.

  Inner City Press has also repeatedly asked the UN about the situation of Sahrawi and Rif political prisoners in Morocco, with renewed urgency now amid the COVID-19 pandemic. No answers at all.

 On April 26 we add these facts: There are currently 39 Saharawi political prisoners detained within the Moroccan prisons of Ait Melloul, Tifelt, Kenitra, El Arjat, Bouzarkarn, Asafi, Oudaya/Marrakech and El Aaiún. These prisoners have in common that they have been arbitrarily arrested and arbitrarily detained, in response to their support for the right to self-determination. The imprisonment of Saharawi political activists, human rights activists, student activists and journalists constitute part of the systematic Moroccan policy of occupation, with the aim of silencing the call for the right to self-determination for the people of Western Sahara. As a form of punishment towards both the detainees and their families; Saharawi prisoners are systematically being deported to prisons located within the Kingdom of Morocco, in breach ofthe Fourth Geneva Convention.

  On April 16, the day after Inner City Press got an answer about Morocco from the IMF at its now virtual Annual Meeting, here, and in transcript here, Inner City Press put the question to a panel convened by Amnesty International. It asked, "Q: Is there any specific information on the situation of Sahrawi prisoners in Moroccan jails? More generally, do you think funding, like that announced by the IMF, should encourage or be conditioned on better treatment including amid COVID-19 of detainees, including what were referred to as 'common criminals'? Thanks." Inner City Press orally added a question about the UN's performance, given the lack of an envoy not only on Western Sahara but also on Libya (which also arose), after the resignation of Ghassan Salame.

  Amnesty's Philippe Nassif, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa, replied that COVID-19 has been as a pretext for muzzling the press, and to expect a report from Amnesty soon. Amnesty activist and Center for Human Rights in Iran board member Nazanin Boniadi spoke movingly about situation in Iran, where there have been prison riots and 38 were recently killed. Inner City Press had hoped for a response about Salame (and the UN) from Randa Slim in Lebanon. Maybe next time. Watch this site.

 Meanwhile, UNSG Guterres has refused to answer the Press' questions about COVID-19 in Moroccan jails, like Ksar el Kbir, and the UN's busses in South Sudan, and even UN Security's gym in UNHQ, and on August 30, 2019 denied Inner City Press access to the UNGA week he let dozens of Moroccan state media into as he and Fleming continue the ban on Inner City Press supported by a frivolous complaint filed against Inner City Press' coverage from the UN Security Council stakeout. On Sept 16, see "prayer" video here.

  On April 9 amid the Coronavirus pandemic in which Saharawi political prisoners are still trapped in Moroccan jails, the UN Security Council met even more secretly than usual; Belgium, to which Inner City Press directed a question, did not answer. But the Morocco state media which Guterres accredits to the UN and his spokesman's bogus briefings while banning Inner City Press lied, according to South Africa Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lungu Ngquelele: "an article that was published online in ‘mapnews.ma’, which translated into English is the ‘Moroccan Press Agency’, has put out a misleading report on South Africa’s and indeed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) recent debate on the occupied territory in the Western Sahara.” That these state media lie is obvious - but Guterres' role in orchestrating colonial lies, from Western Sahara to Cameroon, and censoring and banning independent Press and refusing its questions, needs better coverage, and answers. Watch this site.

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