As
UN
Admits Shooting Dead a Haitian, Lack of Transparency in UN Caused
Deaths
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 24 -- When the UN kills someone, shouldn't they
announce it?
After
the
elections in Haiti, Inner City Press on March 24 asked Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky about ballot
irregularities blamed on the UN system, and about reports of the
shooting death of a Haiti by the UN mission MINUSTAH, specifically by
a Blue Helmet from Argentina.
While
Nesirky by
that time had an “if-asked” sheet of paper with him, to be read
out only if the question was asked, he left unanswered Inner City
Press' follow up question: “How does the UN report where it has
caused the death of a citizen of the country they are in”?
From
the UN's
March
24 transcript:
Inner
City
Press: There are some reports blaming UN or UNDP [United Nations
Development Programme] for some missing of 200 and, 2,009 ballots in
this most recent one. I am not sure if the UN has a response to
that. And there is also, it seems that the Argentine part of the
peacekeeping mission acknowledges a role in the shooting of this
Haitian citizen. Is that something that MINUSTAH has confirmed and
what brought that up?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: On the first question, I would need to check on the
question about the ballots. I would need to check on that. On the
second, what I can tell you is that in the morning of the election
day, which was Sunday the twentieth, in Dessalines in Artibonite, a
group of 50 to 60 unidentified armed men attempted to attack a
polling centre. And the UN Peacekeepers who were guarding the centre
had no choice but to use force in order to protect the centre and the
Haitian civilians who were at threat at that point.
And
according
to the rules of engagement, the peacekeepers used all
peaceful means to try to dissuade the group from progressing toward
the centre. But the group continued to progress in a threatening
way. The peacekeepers issued halt calls and fired several rounds of
warning shots. And they were then engaged by the assailants, and had
no choice but fire back in self defence, and this was to protect the
centre and the civilians. The assailants then dispersed and fled,
and the attack was repulsed. The voting process was able to start
again. During the exchange of fire, one individual was hit by a
bullet and wounded. The peacekeepers provided medical assistance and
took the person to the closest hospital, but that person later died
from his wounds. And, as it is the case when there is any loss of
life, the Mission launches an investigation, and has launched an
investigation, to determine the exact circumstances. And I can
confirm that these were Argentine peacekeepers. There were four
Argentine peacekeepers at this center.
Inner
City
Press: Is there some rule, I mean I, thanks a lot for that, it’s
really helpful, is there some, I mean, how frequent is this? How
does the UN report where it has had to engage and may have caused, in
self-defense or otherwise the death of a citizen of the country
they are in?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
As I’ve said, whenever there is loss of life, then the
mission, or any mission, any mission would investigate.
Even
if the mission
“would investigate,” what is the UN system to announce when it
has killed someone? And why aren't the results of the investigations
made public?
UN peacekeeper blocks cholera, reporting of deaths not shown
After a
Haitian teenagers died, allegedly strangled in a
peacekeeping base in Cap Haitien manned by the Nepalese, the UN never
released its
report, and has apparently not waved the immunity of staff member
Joelle Rozefort to allow or require
testimony.
From the
January 11 UN
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
there
was a case some time ago of a boy that was found
hung — a Haitian boy found hung in a Nepali base in Cap Haitien. Some
say that Mr. Mulet has asked the Secretary-General to remove the
immunity of a national staff member there, Joelle Rozefort, so she
can testify to a court about this. Is that – one, has Mr. Mulet
made the request? But whether he has or not, is the
Secretary-General considering removing the immunity of this staff
member to respond to a court subpoena?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
I’m
aware of the incident you’re referring to in
which someone was found to have been hanged. And I think we may be
able to provide you with a little bit more information on the
question that you’ve asked a little bit later.
But
more than two months
later, no information has been provided. Watch this site.
*
* *
* * *
UN
Spokesman
Dismisses Haiti & Labor Questions,
Tells Press to “Shut Up”
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March
18 -- Asked questions about the promotion
and then
disappearance on “Special Leave” of the son in law of UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky has
for
days told Inner City Press to “ask the UN Office of Project
Services.”
Ban's
son
in law
Siddharth Chatterjee was in mid 2009 made the Middle East chief of
UNOPS. This month, Inner City Press was told by UNOPS sources that
Chatterjee quietly left once he was asked for his educational
credentials, and after being described
by co-workers as “the
furniture” for lack of effectiveness.
On
March 17, after
Nesirky during the UN noon media briefing refused to answer a
question from Inner City Press by saying it should be dealt with
outside of the briefing, Nesirky approached Inner City Press in the
UN hallway between the briefing room and the Security
Council meeting
about Libya.
Nesirky
said
to
Inner City Press, “you should have a little sense of proportion,
the bulk of the briefing was you asking questions.”
Inner
City
Press
had asked Nesirky five questions, ranging from Sudan and Myanmar to
hiring practices, a statement
by Ban about UN rubble removal in Haiti
which Nesirky's office “amended” with out explanation, and about
the impending pay decrease
or firing on March 28 of elevator
operators at the UN.
Nesirky
in
the
hall said, “You asked a question about elevators when the rest of
the world is wondering about nuclear meltdown and wondering what's
happening in Cote
d'Ivoire to tens of thousands of people.”
Just
this
month,
Inner City Press has asked questions about UN labor changes under Ban
which are opposed
by
the UN Staff Union, the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and now the elevator
operators,
all without any answers from Nesirky.
Inner
City
Press
said to Nesirky, referring to the questions
about Ban's son in law,
“The UNOPS one, you know they didn't write me back.”
Nesirky
said,
“They
won't.”
“Then why do
you
publicly refer me to UNOPS, when you know they won't answer?”
“People don't
want to deal with you,” Nesirky said.
While
the
current
UN leadership seems unwilling to answer investigative questions, just
over the past week for example, the Permanent
Representative of India
to the UN called Inner City Press to answer a question, and earlier
on March 18, the IMF answered Inner City Press questions about
Zimbabwe.
“I'm going to
head back to the Security Council,” Inner City Press said turning
away, “where people do seem want to deal with me.” During the
Libya meeting, Inner City Press got answers from French foreign
minister Alain
Juppe and diplomats from Lebanon and
Libya, among
others.
Nesirky
called
after
Inner City Press, “if you were concerned about elevator
people, I feel for people too.” Saying "I'm choosing my words very
carefully here," he continued that he didn't want to
criticize the Office of the Spokesperson staff traveling with Ban
until he learned why the statement on Haiti had been amended.
Inner
City
Press
said while that argument had some merit, given how rare or even
unprecedented it is to label a revised transcript “amended”
instead of “as delivered,” Nesirky might have checked it that
morning, before being asked.
“Shut up,”
Nesirky said.
Ban & Nesirky, questions about Haiti, son in law and
elevator operators not shown
After
a
pause,
Inner City Press said “When you have the answer about why your
office 'amended' the Haiti answer, just e-mail me.”
In
fact, Nesirky and his Office
have allowed dozens of questions ranging from Sri Lanka
to budget and contracting
irregularities to Sudan to the UN offering
free flights to an indicted war criminal to build up
without offering answers or even acknowledging the e-mailed
questions.
Back in
the summer of 2010, he publicly swore at Inner
City Press. In January
2011, he told Inner City Press he wouldn't
answer any more of its questions.
Inner
City
Press
said, then and now, that it does not believe Nesirky is doing his
job.
“This is
unacceptable,” Nesirky said, concluding “I'm going to have to
bring this up with UNCA,” the UN Correspondents Association. Watch
this site.
Update: Nesirky and
his office have still not provided any answers to the Haiti
"amendment," Ban son in law, elevator operator or other questions, 19
hours after Nesirky said he would get the Haiti answer.
* * *
, 
