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By Matthew Russell Lee, Video here, Vine here

UN GATE, September 1 -- Stephane Dujarric, the lead spokesman of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and now Guterres' Global Communicator Melissa Fleming and even Assistant Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino, have joined their boss in personally covering up child rapes and sexual abuse by UN personnel, including recently a child rape by a UN "peacekeeper" from Paul Biya's Cameroon in DR Congo.

  Now on a three day ramble on UN planes in the DRC, bumping elbows with the locals, Guterres had this answer: "[Question on the reasons for resistance to the Ebola response, including the failure of MONUSCO to protect civilians from ADF.]     Secretary-General: First, it must be recognized that 27 MONUSCO soldiers have already died fighting the ADF. So, if we did nothing, how did we end up with 27 people killed. What I recognize is that more needs to be done in the cooperation between MONUSCO and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and this will be the focus of my discussions in Kinshasa.     I think we can improve the response from a security point of view. In my opinion it is not a question of the number of troops, it is a question of the strategy of joint actions of the forces."

  Even under Ban Ki-moon, the UN talked about human rights due diligence.  Inner City Press before being targeted and ousted by Guterres for its question traveled to the DRC, Goma and elsewhere. Under Guterres that is gone - it is a matter of using some countries troops, then staying silent when things go wrong.

They have also refused to answer in any way Press questions about Biya's imposition of life sentences on his opponents, apparently liking no due process life sentences themselves.

  On the morning of August 27 Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Dujarric, Fleming and others: "On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information supplied about other cases in the past about the cursory update this morning listing a SEA case by a Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) peacekeeper at MINUSCA in CAR. This information was provided in the past, before you banned Inner City Press (which re-applied on August 24, 2019 to cover the UNGA high level week). Also, again, what is Guterres' answer, which you refused to provide after banned Inner City Press asked you and others in writing on the morning of August 19 that you "immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced at 11:01 am today, of child rape by a Cameroonian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo, and a separate child rape and also sexual exploitation by Gabonese peacekeepers in CAR, as well as the previously unanswered question about exploitation by Tanzanian peacekeeper - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. On August 24 Inner City Press re-applied for admission to cover the UNGA high level week. Yesterday as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered. This is a request that you immediately confirm receipt of these questions and requests. " But five days later there has been no answer, including after a desultory noon briefing by Soto Nino on August 30 when Dujarric like Hua Jiang went on another vacation. But their and Guterres' UN sent this out:

"From: malu malu [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 4:23 PM
Subject: U.N. eAccreditation request for Matthew Lee Ref # M5413398 has been declined
To: Inner City Press:

Greetings Matthew Lee from Inner City Press,  Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M5413398, has been declined for the following reason: Media accreditation was withdrawn on 17 August 2018."

 At the August 9 UN noon briefing from which Guterres and Dujarric banned Inner City Press for the more than 400th day, Dujarric said, "from Tuesday to Friday next week, my office will not hold daily noon briefings, but I understand Monica will be here.  The office will be staffed, and we will be able to answer your questions."

  So on the morning of Tuesday, August 13 Inner City Press asked again, in writing, including to Guterres' incoming Communicator Melissa Fleming: "August 13-3: On UN sex exploitation and cover up(s), as Inner City Press asked on August 9 without any response to day, This is a Press request that you immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced at 12:01 pm today, apparently of SE by a Tanzanian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. Today as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered. This is a request that you immediately confirm receipt of these questions." Again, as Dujarric's office closed on August 13, no answers, no response. This is the UN's cover up of UN sexual abuse, and it's now on Melissa Fleming as well. Inner City Press also asked, ".  August 13-6: Given that the SG's public schedules for August 2, August 5, August 6, August 7, August 8, August 9 and now August 13 are entirely blank, not even "all appointments internal" as before but just blank, given that Poland's Foreign Minister was not able to meet with the SG on August 3, nor Pakistan PR Maleeha Lodhi on August 7 (tweeting "As the SG is away"), please immediately state where the UNSG is, now and for the next three weeks, and at what cost to the public. Additionally, since public officials from Trump to de Blasio to Corey Johnson all disclose where they are, and given the UN system travel scandals at UNRWA, UN Women and previously UNEP, explain why Mr. Guterres' lack of transparency is not part of the problem. Given the Secretariat's communication failures, state when exactly Ms. Fleming takes over from Alison Smale, whether Ms. Fleming is still has stated on her profile at UNHCR (Chief Communications  @Refugees as of August 7) and if she is answering some/any of her e-mail there." Nothing. We will stay on this.

  While refusing to answer banned Inner City Press written questions about UN rapes, Guterres and Dujarric have issued propaganda about how well the UN pays its victims though a Trust Fund both grotesque and murky, with no opportunity to question much less cross examine.

 On May 30 during a UN noon briefing Inner City Press was banned from attending and asking questions at for the 330th day in a row, Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq read out statistics of UN sexual exploitation and abuse from the first quarter for 2019. Inner City Press could not ask questions, and none of the correspondents allowed in asked any questions about it. Afterward Inner City Press wrote to Dujarric, Guterres, Haq, USG Alison Smale and DSG Amina J. Mohammed: "This is a Press request that you immediately e-mail Inner City Press the UN Sexual Abuse and Exploitation data read out at today short noon briefing - no one allowed asked any questions about it - and also the five personnel announcements and c.v.'s, immediately. It is outrageous that Inner City Press which reports about the UN daily is banned from entering to ask questions. Please send this information immediately, and explain."

   From all of those addressed, the lone response was from Haq, a copy of the transcript of the briefing (which goes online here). In the three weeks since, not a single answer from Haq or Dujarric or Guterres and Amina J. Mohammed or Alison Smale. Just cover up and propaganda, such as this dumped online at 5 pm on Friday, June 21: "More than 50 Member States convened at UN Headquarters today at the invitation of the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC) to take stock of assistance provided to victims through the Trust Fund in support of sexual exploitation and abuse and to pledge further donations to the Fund.  The Under-Secretary General for the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, Jan Beagle, who chaired the meeting, said that projects implemented through the Trust Fund have “helped elevate the voices of victims through reinforced community networks.” “They have also learned new skills and trades which has supported reintegration into their respective communities without fear of retribution or stigma,” added Ms. Beagle.   In the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 440 community members have benefited from income-generating projects. Similar initiatives are underway in the Central African Republic and Liberia. Assistance and specialized services are being provided by both UN and non-UN entities and organizations.   Ms. Beagle also thanked the 19 Member States who have so far donated to the Trust Fund, bringing its total to USD 2 million, including some USD 400,000 received from payments withheld from United Nations personnel against whom allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse have been substantiated.  She encouraged further donations to the Trust Fund in order for the United Nations and its partners in the field to provide sustained assistance and support and help restore the dignity of victims, paving the way for economic independence.  Other participants in this meeting of Member States, included the Victims’ Rights Advocate, Assistant Secretary-General Jane Connors, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Leila Zerrougui, and Assistant-Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, Miroslav Jenča.   The Trust Fund was created in 2016 by the Secretary-General to provide assistance and specialized services to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by UN personnel and to children born as a result of these acts." Shameful, like Guterres on the Rohingya and Cameroon and the Uighurs. #DumpGuterres.

   The UN's transparency under Guterres has declined steadily. But on his issue of refusing to provide basic if-asked information from the UN Peacekeeping missions about the allegations the UN data dumps in one line on its website, Dujarric stands apart.

  While Dujarric was away on Guterres' most recent junket, now saying nothing about the no confidence motion in Tuvalu while Guterres is there, long time deputy spokesman Farhan Haq to his credit - it is his job after all - twice provide the if-asked information, see below.

  (It was Dujarric who said, on camera, that Guterres' UN would "continued to answer emailed questions from Mr. Lee," here. Inner City Press has not been able to enter the UN once since then. So that only rationale for stopping is content: censorship.)

  The moment Dujarric returned, with his glad handing jokes with the scribes his uses to oust the Press, even this if-asked information was again withheld. It is not because it is an "international" staffer on whom Guterres refuses to give information. The only difference between the Moroccan peacekeeper's child rape and the allegations Haq answered on is... Dujarric, and perhaps the French connection, which extends for him to Cameroon. Guterres' reasons are more personal. We'll have more on this.

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