On
Kenya, ICP Asks UN Again of
Odinga's Charges,
De-Registration of AfriCoG
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
August 15 – After the murder
of Kenyan electoral official
Chris Msando, Inner City Press
on August 1 put the question
at the UN to Secretary General
Antonio Guterres' spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, UN
transcript here
and below. After Kenya moved
to de-register a second human
rights group, Inner City Press
asked lead UN Spokesman
Stephane Dujarric on August
15, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: there've now
been more than one NGO shut
down at this period of time in
which they could be filing
petitions. And there's
many more… there are doubts
whether… whether substantive
or not, about how the results
were transmitted. So,
beyond this Kenya National
Human Rights Commission,
something called Africog
[phonetic] has also been
suddenly deregistered by the…
by the authorities. That
would be the winning candidate
or the said to be winning
candidate. So, I just
wanted to know, what… the
country team there, what do
they think of the closing down
of the NGOs in the country
during…
Spokesman: I don't have
enough information on these
particular NGOs. You can
contact the country team
directly. I know you're
been in contact with
them. What is clear for
us is that there are
constitutional means that need
to be respected as part of the
election for any appeals and,
obviously, echo the High
Commissioner's call for
restraint and for peaceful…
for supporting the right of
people to demonstrate
peacefully but a call for calm
and restraint.
On August 14,
Inner City Press asked
Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq,
video here,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: there were
these two different
statements, one about
provisional results, then
final results, but, in the
country, one, how many people
does the UN believe have been
killed in post-election
violence? What's the
UN's reaction to Raila Odinga
asking for the UN to play some
role in looking into fraud he
says he's going to announce
tomorrow, Tuesday?
And there's a group called the
Kenya Human Rights Commission,
which has been deregistered
just before filing a petition
concerning the election.
Does the UN believe that the
current legal structures,
especially if you have
petitioners deregistered
moments before filing, is a
credible one? What does
the UN, given its presence in
Nairobi, think about the
deaths and this
deregistration?
Deputy Spokesman:
Obviously, we're concerned
about any violence. As I
just mentioned, what we've
been doing, including through
the Secretary-General, is
calling on all political
leaders to send clear messages
to their supporters urging
them to refrain from violence,
and that's a key part of this
process. You're aware of
our concerns in other previous
elections, presidential
elections in Kenya, and those
concerns continue to
apply. Regarding Mr.
Odinga's request, obviously,
we'll wait to see what he has
to say tomorrow and monitor
that, but I would point out,
as I just said, that the
Secretary-General called on
political leaders disputing
the election results to
address election-related
disputes through the relevant
constitutionally mandated
institutions, and that is
where we stand on that.
On
August 7, Inner City Press
asked Dujarric about the
deportation of two of Raila
Odinga's consultants, American
John Phillips, chief executive
of political consultancy
Aristotle, and Canadian
Andreas Katsouris. Dujarric
replied with generalities;
Inner City Press asked, so the
deportations are bad? There
was no clear answer. Now this:
on August 10 Inner City Press
asked Dujarric, UN transcript
here:
Inner City Press: In
Kenya, Raila Odinga, the
candidate, has said that
there's been hacking of the
system, but the President of
Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza,
has offered his
congratulations. What's
the UN's view? One, do they
think that the rule-of-law
process to review is being
conducted, is that process
over?
Spokesman: No, I, as far
as I know, the, the official
election results have yet to
be announced. We're,
obviously, watching the
situation unfold. We're
watching it closely. As
you know, the UN did not
observe, did not have a role
in observing the, the
elections. I think
what's important is that all
stakeholders, all people in
Kenya, allow the process to
follow its course and, if they
have any grievances, that they
channel those through legal
and peaceful means. We
reiterate the call of the
Secretary-General for
maintaining calm and ensuring
strict respect for human
rights and fundamental
freedoms, especially in this
time while people await, and
understandably await eagerly,
the official results. From the
August 1 transcript: Inner
City Press: in the run up to
the elections in Kenya, the
head of the electronic voting,
Chris Msando, has been
murdered and I wanted to know,
what is the UN… various
countries have expressed
concern, offered to send
investigators, has the
resident coordinator or anyone
in the UN system, what do they
think of this murder?
Spokesman: Obviously, I
think it’s, the fact that a
member of the electoral
commission was murdered, in
what appears to be such a
gruesome way, is shocking and
can only be condemned.
We hope that the perpetrators
are found and brought to
justice. I think Kenya
is entering a very, obviously
a very delicate period with
the upcoming elections, and we
would not want to see any
increase or violence or
disturbance.
Inner City Press: Can you say
what the UN's role, does it
have any role? I know
that there was somebody who
used to work at DPA
[Department of Political
Affairs] who is now working on
the elections as a Kenyan
national, but is there a UN
role?
Spokesman: I can
check. I'm not aware of
any role, but I'm happy to
check.
Twenty
three hours later, nothing.
But UN Department of Public
Information's Nairobi "UNIC"
has responded online that the
UN did speak out, attaching a
statement referring to the
"sudden demise" of Msango. He
was tortured and murdered.
That is NOT speaking out, and
is consistent with UN Resident
Coordinator Siddharth
Chatterjee's strikingly
pro-government blatherings in
the country, of the kind the
many say got the Resident
Coordinator in Myanmar removed
from the job - or "promoted,"
in UN-speak. Chatterjee was
named Resident Correspondent
by his father in law Ban,
without recusal. On August 2,
with Dujarric not having
provided any answer on the
UN's electoral role, Inner
City Press asked him again, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: the UN
statement, apparently the most
recent one, still calls it a
sudden demise and given that
the autopsy has shown that he
was both tortured and murdered
and the EU has called for an
investigation, is the UN
wanting there to be an
investigation?
Spokesman: Of course, of
course, there should be an
investigation. I think
anyone who is found murdered
deserves to have an
investigation into the
killings. I think in
this particular instance,
given the political climate in
Kenya and given the upcoming
elections, it's obviously
extremely important that,
following what has clearly
been the murder of a senior
member of the electoral
commission, that that be
investigated and the
perpetrators be brought to
justice.
Inner City Press: When
they called it a sudden
demise, they didn't yet know
it was a murder?
Spokesman: Listen, I
think, you’re, as I said, the
UNIC is obviously in contact
with you. You are free
to call.
Inner
City
Press:
They tweeted.
Spokesman: No, you know
their numbers are
public. You can go and
ask them directly. You
don't need me to be sandwiched
between you and them.
And I did, I think you had
asked about the UN's role,
and… and UNDP is, through an
electoral cycle, based
2015-2018 project called
Supporting Electoral Processes
in Kenya, supporting various
Kenyan institutions to prepare
for credible and peaceful
general elections in
August. The project
focuses on strengthening
institutional and legal
framework for the electoral
process; increasing the
participation of voters,
parties and candidates in the
electoral process with an
emphasis of women, youth and
people living with
disabilities; promoting
efficient and transparent and
peaceful elections; and
strengthening electoral
justice. The UN has also
engaged the importance of
peaceful and credible
elections, both for the
country and the region, by
working consultation with
regional organizations and the
wider international community.
Back on February
17 as the UN discussed
enforced disappearances with restricting
the Press' ability to cover
them, Inner City Press
asked UN deputy spokesman
Farhan Haq why the UN's
Resident Coordinator in Kenya
Siddharth Chatterjee, Ban
Ki-moon's son in law promoted
by him without recusal, was
silent on at least two cases.
UN
Transcript here and
below.
Siddharth Chatterjee has two
days later reached out to seek
an agreement, in advance, to
publish whatever he chooses to
send in. Inner City Press in
turn requested, as it did in
person in New York in
September, an on camera
interview which it would
publish live and in its
entirety.
Along with
the above, and what Chatterjee
was doing recently in Addis
Ababa lobbying in connection
with the race for top African
Union post, Inner City Press
has conveyed in advance
questions ranging from whether
or not Chatterjee previously
got an article about one of
his promotions taken off the
Internet after making an
illegal offer of a job in his
father in law's Secretariat to
his role in the Jaffna
Hospital Massacre and other
specific war crimes in Sri
Lanka. We hope to get answers
to these questions and to
publish them. Watch this site.
From the UN's February 17
transcript:
Inner City Press:
it's the tenth anniversary of
this Convention on enforced
disappearances. So, I'd
asked you, I think, on Monday
about this… these case of two
South Sudanese who have
disappeared in Kenya.
You said you're aware of the
reports so, two things.
One, I'm wondering, who in the
UN system is engaging with the
Kenyan Government or the South
Sudan Government about
that? Why hasn't the
Resident Coordinator in Kenya?
I mean the Nigeria one is
speaking about when Boko Haram
will be done. Has
anything been said by the UN
in-country about these people
that have been disappeared
presumably by the Government
and returned to South Sudan?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
first of all, I believe that
there are Special Rapporteurs
dealing with this particular
situation. There's… one
of our human rights
instruments deals with the
question of
disappearances. And so
they're looking into this
matter, and we'll try to get
information from them first
and foremost. And then
other parts of the system can
work on that as needed.
Inner
City Press:
Sure. And then can I,
there's a high-profile
case in France of a
22-year-old person that was
arrested on video and has said
to have been raped or
sodomized during the
arrest. His name is
Theo. And there have
been riots in France for
several days on it. I've
checked at least everything
that's been sent out by the
Office of the High
Commissioner for Human
Rights. I haven't seen
anything. Is the UN
aware of this case? And
what do they think of… of both
police treatment of people in
France and of how the protests
are being dealt with?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
regarding protests, of course,
we want to make sure that the
freedom of expression and the
freedom of peaceful assembly
are upheld. Beyond that,
this is a case that,
ultimately, the judicial
system would need to look
into, and we'll have to see
where they go with that.
Back on
January 25 with at least these
two South Sudanese threatened
with deportation by Kenya,
Inner City Press asked UN
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
for the UN's response. From
the UN
transcript:
Inner City Press:
extradition questions, not
South Korea extradition but
are you aware of the impending
extradition of South Sudanese
human rights lawyer Samuel
Luak, who defended Pagan
Amum? Basically, a
number of highly respected
groups are saying that, if
he’s deported, he will face
unjust treatment. So I’m
wondering, has the UN…
Spokesman Dujarric: I, I
have, don’t have an update
here, but, again, you can
check locally with the
mission.
Inner City Press: So
that would be the resident
coordinator? I’m talking
about in Kenya.
Spokesman: In Kenya, you
can check with the UN
Information Centre in Nairobi.
Dujarric
was until December 31 the
spokesman for Ban Ki-moon, who
before he left the UN promoted
his own son in law Siddharth
Chatterjee to the top UN post
in Kenya, as Resident
Coordinator.
In
December as Kenya detained
journalist
Jerome Starkey,
Ban Ki-moon's
son in law
Chatterjee was
entirely
silent. Like
his father in
law has proved
to be with the
Press in New
York, he
is at heart a
censor. But it
makes a
mockery of Ban
Ki-moon's post
Sri Lanka
claims of
"Rights Up
Front," even
as Ban
angles to run
for President
on South
Korea.
In
fact, in Sri Lanka Ban's son in
law is implicated
in presumptive war crimes,
the Jaffna Hospital massacre and
the crushing of civilians with
tanks. And it's from him that
Ban took his advice on Sri
Lanka, where Ban oversaw the
killing of more than 40,000
civilians.
Ban
is allowing those scribes
who ignore this and praise him
to sell access to him on
December 16 for $1200 on Wall
Street. We'll have more on
this.
Tellingly,
as the UN's Resident Coordinator
in Kenya, Ban's son in law
Chatterjee has remained silent
not only on the targeting of
South Sudanese, but on the
protests profiled in a study
released by Article 19, here.
Ban's
son in law ignores Ban's
supposed “Rights Up Front,”
given his action in Sri Lanka
(see below) and because he is
entirely unaccountable: he could
only be fired by Ban Ki-moon,
his father in law. Nepotism is
harmful.
On
December 3 Inner City Press
reported the ever-increasingly
likelihood that Ban Ki-moon's
son in law Chatterjee was
involved in crimes of war in Sri
Lanka, which neither Ban's
spokesman Stephane Dujarric nor
Chatterjee himself when asked
in the UN lobby was
willing to answer.
For some time Inner City Press
has heard that Chatterjee, as
part of the Indian Peace Keeping
Force in Sri Lanka, was a war
criminal. Inner City Press asked
Ban's spokesman Dujarric if
Chatterjee was involved in the
Jaffna University raid, or the
Jaffna hospital massacre,
without answer.
In the UN lobby, Chatterjee said
he would
answer at an “opportune time.”
He has not answered.
Chatterjee had his commander, Dalvir
Singh, write a defense on
Huffington Post and
elsewhere, identifying himself
as the commander of Chatterjee
and of the 10th Para commandos.
And
that's the problem. More here
and here.
***
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