Inner City Press





In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYTAzerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .



These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis
,



Share |   

Follow on TWITTER

Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

CONTRIBUTE

(FP Twitterati 100, 2013)

ICP on YouTube

More: InnerCityPro

BloggingHeads.tv
Sept 24, 2013

UN: Sri Lanka

VoA: NYCLU

FOIA Finds  

Google, Asked at UN About Censorship, Moved to Censor the Questioner, Sources Say, Blaming UN - Update - Editorial

Support this work by buying this book

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



As US Allows Net Tech To Iran Protesters It Praises UN Guterres Who Covers for Iran Spy

By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Podcast
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN

EDNY COURT / UN GATE, Sept 23 – US OFAC announced a loosening of Iran sanctions on September 23 to allow Internet technology to civil society, amid the protests (and the hypocritical UN General Assembly week).

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres responded positively to entreaties by indicted Iran lobbyist Kaveh Afrisaibi, documents now sought to be withdrawn from the Federal court file but obtained by Inner City Press show. 

The US talks harshly on Iran, as on September 23, but lavishes praise on Guterres who has covered by for Iranian spy Afrasiabi, and bans Inner City Press which asked the UN about it.

   Afrisiabi was illegal paid as a lobbyist by Iran Mission the UN for years, through the UN Federal Credit Union.

On August 25, 2021 Afrasiabi had a proceeding in the EDNY. Judge Korman arrived late, saying he'd needed oxygen supplements to arrive. He chided the AUSA for delays in discovery, and said the 33,000 audio files should be produced by Friday, with a next conference on December 1 at 2 pm. He mused that the US might not deport Afrasiabi to Iran if convicted, just as he said the US at least for a time did not deport to China.  Afrasiabi cut in to say he had worked for "a branch of the United Nations."

On September 9, quietly, a notice that Afrasiabi is set to plead guilty. To what? The notice: "SCHEDULING ORDER as to Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi: Change of Plea Hearing set for 9/19/2022 at 12:00 PM in Courtroom 13D South before Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. Ordered by Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr on 9/9/2022."

Then on September 15, just as quietly: "Dear Judge Korman, I write as stand-by counsel to Dr. Afrasiabi to inform the Court that Dr. Afrasiabi has decided to decline the government’s plea offer. Accordingly, I ask that this case no longer be referred to Magistrate Judge Reyes for a change of plea hearing." So, it continues.

Back on July 14, 2021  Inner City Press again in writing asked the UN for its role in Afrasiabi's payment, and other Iran cases. Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino pretended there were no more questioned, and ended her briefing, providing no answers. Birds of a feather.

 In April 2021 Afrasiabi wrote to PEN (which has done nothing about the UN roughing up and banning Inner City Press) that " in January 2021, the outgoing rogue Trump  administration that made a mockery of US Constitution and international law orchestrated the fifth  episode of my wrongful arrest and imprisonment, accusing me of violating the Foreign Agent  Registration Act."

  Reports to the UN, from a man now arrested under US FARA. And from Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming? Nothing. Impunity.

 On February 17, Afrasiabi submitted to the EDNY court his lobbying to, and response from, jzarif [at] gmail.com to lobby UNSG Antonio Guterres,  here.

  Inner City Press, banned from the UN by Guterres, has repeated put in written questions about this to UN Spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming and to Guterres, including through SGcentral [at] un.org.

  But despite an on-camera promise to at least answer Inner City Press' written questions, there have been no answers. 

 By contrast, when Iran illegal lobbyist Afrisiabi wrote to Guterres through SGCentral [at] un.org, he got an immediately response and solicitation to clarify and request a meeting, from Guterres staffer Susanne Rose.   

A subsequent message from Rose to Afrasiabi makes clear that Afrasiabi was granted a meeting with UN official Darko Mocibob, and that Afriasiabi's illegal Iran lobbying was passed on to SG Guterres.  Sample document on Inner City Press' DocumentCloud here, more on Patreon here including "Afrasiabi was operating under UN norms" and "Exhibit I: Afrasiabi’s email to UN Secretary General, responses from the Secretary General."

  Likewise there have been not answers to this question, emailed and WhatsApp-ed on the morning of February 15 by Inner City Press to Guterres, Fleming, Dujarric and his deputy Farhan Haq, before publication of this article.

 So where are the answers on this? And given Guterres' undisclosed links also with convicted UN bribery firm CEFC China Energy, and banning of the Press which asked, how can he be allowed the second five-year term is now seeking? Watch this site.

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA

Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540



Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2021 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com