On
Mali
Journalist
Detained for
Report on
Corruption, UN
Has Nothing
to Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March
7 -- Mali is
the UN's new
focus, or cash
cow. But even
there, Ban
Ki-moon's UN
cannot speak
up for media
harassed by
security
services for
reporting on
corruption. It
is any
surprise?
At
the March
7 UN noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's chief
spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
Inner
City Press: In
Mali, a
journalist has
been detained
by the
security
agents, his
name is
Boukary Daou,
and his paper
published an
open
letter about
the financial
package given
to Captain
Sanogo, the
coup
leader. Now he
has been
essentially
arrested and
taken in for
questioning.
So I am
wondering,
particularly
given the UN…
I am
not sure of
the status of
the UN
presence, I
know that they
are
there. Are
they aware of
this arrest of
a journalist
for what seems
to be a pretty
much
free-speech
activity and
do they have
any comment
on it? Have
they spoken to
the Government
about it? What
do they
think of it?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well,
I think you
are aware that
we do have a
UN
office in
Mali. It is a
multidisciplinary
team that also
includes a
human rights
component. So
I will check
to see what
they have to
say
about that,
okay? It is
obvious that
journalists
should be
allowed to
carry out
their work,
and
particularly
of an
investigative
nature. They
should be
allowed to
carry out that
work. Let me
see what the
mission has to
say on that.
There
was no answer,
eight hours
later and
counting.
The UN's Mali
juggernaut is
set to be run
by Herve
Ladsous, the
fourth
Frenchman in
a row to head
UN
Peacekeeping (Profile;
Short
Film
#LADSOUS2013).
Ladsous has
refused to
answer Inner
City
Press
questions
about 126
rapes in
Minova by his
partners in
the
Congolese
Army. Finally
on March
7 his DPKO
spoonfed vague
answers to
friendly
journalists.
This
is how the
media is dealt
with in this
UN: the
friendly ones
are
used, those
who report on
corruption?
See above, and
see false
complaints
to Inner City
Press by
UN Media
Accreditation
boss
Stephane
Dujarric.
Watch this
site.
, 
