UNITED
NATIONS, June
24 -- On a day
when the UN
refused
requests by
Inner City
Press to
explain why it
continues
to support
units of the
Congolese Army
which
committed 135
rapes in
Minova in late
November, and
began
a witch hunt
against a UN
Mine Action
Service
whistleblower
in Somalia,
its Department
of Public
Information
ratcheted up
threats to
throw Inner
City Press out
of the UN, or
withdraw it
accreditation.
What
are the
charges?
Exclusive
reporting on
UNMAS in
Somalia
sharing
genetic
information
from bombings
with US
intelligence?
Exposure of UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous for
having covered
up the 135
Minova rapes,
including at a
stakeout
where Ladsous'
spokesman
seized the
microphone
supposedly
managed by DPI?
No -
Inner City
Press' sin has
been to
co-found the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access as an
alternative to
DPI's and Ban
Ki-moon
partner UNCA,
and to put a
simple FUNCA
sign on the
door of its
office. Here
is a photo of
the sign, here.
Monday
afternoon DPI
sent the
following
e-mail to
Inner City
Press:
Subject:
signs
on the door
From: Hua
Jiang [at]
un.org
Date: Mon, Jun
24, 2013 at
3:52 PM
To: Inner City
Press
Cc: Stephane
Dujarric [at]
un.org,
Isabelle
Broyer [at]
un.org
Dear
Matthew,
We
have taken
note that you
have not until
now remove the
signs on your
office door as
per the United
Nations
Guidelines on
Media Access,
despite
repeated
requests
communicated
to you by
emails and
verbally by
DPI officials.
We
reserve the
right to take
actions
according to
the Guidelines
which
stipulate that
those violate
the rules may
have their
accreditation
withdrawn or
suspended.
Best
Hua
Jiang
Chief, Press
Service, UN
DPI
Of the
two
individuals
cc-ed, the
first received
and even
solicited,
including to
his private
non-UN email
address,
stealth
requests to
get Inner City
Press thrown
out of the UN
from Louis
Charbonneau
of Reuters,
Agence
France Presse,
Voice
of America
and others.
The
second led
a
non-consensual
raid of Inner
City Press'
office on
March 18, 2013,
took photos of
the Press'
desk and
bookshelf and
shared them
beyond DPI
(they later appeared
in BuzzFeed,
leaked by a
“Concerned UN
Reporter”
account
after BuzzFeed
called Ban's
spokesman for
comment on the
raid.)
Having
to stop
covering the
day's Security
Council
meeting about
Sexual
Violence and
Conflict, the
following
response to
DPI was
prepared and
sent:
Hello.
The Free UN
Coalition for
Access has
among other
things asked,
so far without
answer, how it
is legitimate
that the UNCA
Executive
Committee
member next
door has
pro-UN signs
all over his
door and
has not been
asked to take
them down.
Unless
this is just
some kind of
witch hunt
against FUNCA
(or any
alternative to
UNCA), that
should be
explained.
Also,
separately,
the Media
Accreditation
Guidelines do
not provide
any exception
or exemption
for UNCA. Are
you trying to
outlaw any
alternative to
UNCA?
Finally,
Peter
(who I will
cc) after a
one hour
discussion
last week told
me he would be
sending me, in
writing, some
sort of DPI
proposed road
map for FUNCA.
While
objecting to
the idea of
the UN seeking
to dictate the
corporate or
other form of
a free press
group that
seeks to
advocate for
greater media
access --
where are the
promised
“lines”?
And
given the
failure to
explain the
different with
the pro-UN
signs, the
legitimacy of
trying to
outlaw FUNCA
signs while leaving two
UNCA signs up,
and the
failure to
send the
promised
lines, can you
further
explain the
threat in your
email?
Also,
what happened
on the request
by the NY
Civil
Liberties
Union last
July that DPI
make public
rules for
withdrawing or
suspending
accreditation,
which you seem
to be doing
here -- for
the posting of
a sign of a
media freedom
organization?
Awaiting
your
written
response,
Matthew
Russell
Lee, for the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access
Office c/o
Inner City
Press, Room S
303, UN HQ, NY
NY 10017
Email: funca
[at]
FUNCA.info -
www.FUNCA.info
And
we're still
waiting.
, 
