UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 4
– Inner City Press on July 5
was banned from entering the
UN, the day after it filed a
criminal complaint against
UN Security for physically
removing it from covering
the meeting about the UN
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' $6.7 billion
peacekeeping budget, as
witnessed and essentially
cheered on by senior UN
official Christian Saunders,
tearing its reporter's
shirt, painfully and
intentionally twisting his
arm and slamming shut and
damaging his laptop. On
August 17, Guterres' Global
Communicator Alison Smale
issued a letter banning
Inner City Press from the UN
- for life. With no due
process. She and Guterres
have put the UN in the US
Press Freedom Tracker, here.
Smale said,
again, that the UN would
answer Press questions to
the Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric and his Office; Dujarric said the same on
camera.
On February 4,
before a briefing days after
Dujarric took a question
on Cameroon
from the
correspondent
who previously said "the Anglophones did some
shooting today,"
while
today joking about a
his own fat fingers on
his iPhone telling UNTV
not to film Guterres,
just as he previously banned
Inner City Press
from filming
at Guterres's
photo op
before having
it roughed up
and banned, Inner
City Press submitted 476 questions
"There are more than 300+
questions UNanswered.
While appreciating
and using what was sent on
January 29 after it was
read out in the briefing
room, no answers on Dec 17
or 18 or 19 or 20 or 21 -
another FIVE days in a
row, even as SG's direct
conflicts of interest and
failure to disclose
emerge, and a newest low.
While appreciating the
lone read-out answer sent
on Jan 7, nothing on Dec
24 or Dec 26 or Dec 27 or
Dec 28, or January 2, 3 or
4 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or
14 or 15 or 16 or 17 or 18
or 21 or 22 or 23 or 24 or
25 or 28 - that was
FIFTEEN week-days in a
row, apparently under
orders, then a simple
post-facto answer. Now
what? No
answers on January 30 or
31 or
February 1. No
answers at all during
those four days of the
US v Ho trial showing
corruption in the UN
says it all. This ban is
just censorship - and
Inner City Press must be
allowed back into the
noon briefing to ask its
questions in person and
follow up on them.
February
4-1: On South Sudan, on
which your Office
refused to answer Inner
City Press' questions
last week, what now is
the SG's knowledge of
and comment and action
on that the National
Salvation Front led by
Thomas Cirilo (NAS-TC)
Thursday said its
fighters have repulsed
attacks on its positions
in Yei River Stat during
two days by the
government army adding
that the ceasefire is
"technically
dead"?
February
4-2: On Cameroon, what
is the SG's k comment
and action on that the
governent of Paul Biya
banned planned protest
marches in the capital
Yaounde? In terms of
"reform," what are the
costs of UNDP sending a
new Res Rep to Cameroon
after Ms. Baiocchi began
reporting to the DSG?
What did the DSG does
during her leave? What
restrictions were in
place?
February
4-3: On Libya, what is
the SG's knowledge of
and comment and action
on allegations that his
envoy Salame is
declining to send UN to
check on Derna and
impending killings
there?
February
4-4: Please immediately
describe the UN system's
role and financing, in
or out, for 2020 Expo
Dubai and the SG's view
of freedom of expression
and academic freedom in
the UAE and what the
UN's involvement will do
to advance these - or
not.
February
1-2: On DRC and the
killings in and
disenfranchisement of
people in Yumbi, what is
the SG's comment and
action on local
complaints that a report
prepared by the UN
mission in the DRC
(MONUSCO) a week after
the events accuses the
governor Ngobila Mbaka
of having dispatched on
the spot and to from
Kinshasa, police and
army officials (FARDC).
Disguised as civilians,
they would have framed
the Batende in deadly
attacks against
Banunu. Since
then, the report has
been buried by decision
of the MONUSCO leader,
Ms. Leila
Zerrougui.
Testimony of a leader of
local civil society: The
planning of the massacre
would have been done at
the level of the
governorate of the
province. Two teams
formed by police
officers and soldiers
left Kinshasa and Inongo
to join the city of
Mansele inhabited by the
Tiene tribe. The
criminal group from
Kinshasa traveled aboard
the Kebakuni boat, owned
by Ngobila Mbaka,
governor of the province
and leader of the Tiene
tribe"?
February
1-2: On Cameroon, what
is the SG's comment and
follow up action, if
any, on that Kamto is
currently held at the
building of the
Groupement spécial
d’opérations in Yaoundé.
According to his
lawyers, Kamto could be
charged with:
insurrection, hostility
against the homeland,
criminal association,
threats to public order,
rebellion, group
rebellion, and inciting
insurrection,and that
there are currently up
to 200 people, of whom
the majority are MRC
supporters, in detention
following protests on
January 26, and, again,
on the arrest and
detention of journalists
Théodore Tchopa and
David Eyengue Nzima
merely for covering the
opposition gathering in
Douala. Again, what are
the read-outs of his six
conversations with Paul
Biya and most recently
of Francois Fall's visit
there?
February
1-3: On UNMAS please
immediately confirm or
deny what whistleblowers
tell Inner City Press,
that there are over a
dozen harassment,
bullying and abuse of
authorities cases filed
at UN against head of
UNMAS Agnès Marcaillou
and that the cases
came to attention to
head of DPO rule of law
and security ASG
Alexander Zuev and
Under-Secretary-General
for Peace Operations
Jean-Pierre Francois
Renaud Lacroix. Was she
politely asked to resign
but refused to do so?
Confirm / explain her
email: " Today I want to
appeal to those of you
who have shared their
discontent with
colleagues, partners,
inside and outside the
UNMAS/UNOPS circles, to
please not break UNMAS;
what you have work so
hard for; please do not
split the strong and
capable team that has
made UNMAS the worldwide
respected entity it is
today; do not undermine
what most colleagues
have worked so hard for
in the past 6 years that
I have been here with
you. I feel
that there is too much
for UNMAS to
lose!"
February
1-4: On Nigeria AGAIN
please confirm SG's and
DSG's receipt of, and
comment on, the
Coalition of United
Political Parties (CUPP)
and Coalition of
pro-democracy groups in
Nigeria letter to the SG
over President Muhammadu
Buhari’s suspension of
Justice Walter Onnoghen
as the chief justice of
Nigeria and its impact
on any fairness of
elections there. Again,
confirm the DSG's
activities in Nigeria
and any restrictions in
place. Also, relatedly,
what are the comments
and actions of the SG
and separately DSG to
that the police have
been accused of shooting
an unarmed civilian
dead. A video being
circulated shows
two armed police
officers dragging an
unarmed young man
through the street,
before firing at him at
close range?
February
1-5: On South Sudan,
again, what is the SG's
knowledge and action on
the military deployment
to Yei by both the
government and rebels
under the command of Gen
Thomas Cirillo? On South
Sudan and UN impunity,
again, what is the SG's
response to the petition
Inner City Press sent
you on January 28-9 from
South Sudan about (his)
peacekeepers killing two
civilians
there?
February
1-6: Again, please
immediately state why
the Secretary General
did not bother to attend
the 9 am UNSC "urgent"
meeting on Venezuela on
January 26. And
state whether the SG has
been working from "the
residence" mid-day, and
if so, why.
January
31-5: On Sudan, what is
the SG's comment and
action on that Sudanese
security forces on
Wednesday detained
Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi,
the daughter of a top
opposition leader who
was Sudan's last
democratically elected
prime minister?
January 30-1: On
CAR and peacekeeping and
the photos and videos
Inner City Press has asked
your Office about without
answer, MINUSCA has said "Certain images
from the video are
troubling and raise
concerns regarding the
conduct of the
peacekeeping troops.
Mauritania sent a
high-level delegation to
investigate and UN HQ is
following up with the
troop contributing
country in NYC. The
results of the
investigative process
will determine the next
steps." Please
immediately confirm if
this investigation, of UN
peacekeepers dragging
corpse laughing, is being
conducted only by
Mauritania, or what the UN
involvement is and
possible penalties are.
Same question again on the
killing of two civilians
by UNMISS.
January 30-2:
On peacekeeping and China,
please provide the SG's
and separately USG
LaCroix' response to this:
" in Mali, the PLA sent
its 6th Battle Group as
part of a U.N.-led
peacekeeping operation in
the country.
According to the ACSS
report, Mali’s geographic
location is strategically
ideal for Beijing’s effort
to extend the OBOR
initiative into the
greater West African
region, with rail links
being built by Chinese
companies connecting Mali
to ports in Dakar, the
capital of Senegal, and
Conakry, the capital of
Guinea. ... Beijing has
supported the African
Standby Force (ASF)—an
international peacekeeping
force under the direction
of the African Union—such
as by providing $25
million to ASF’s logistics
based in Cameroon in
February 2018... aimed at
maintaining authoritarian
leaders with whom Beijing
has good relations and
through which strategic
investments in natural
resources and
infrastructure can be
secured."
January 30-3:
Please immediately provide
the SG's response to the
reported allegation he
gave in to flimsy
arguments by Turkey's
government and undermine
the rule of law: "
Turkey’s government had
made “baseless”
allegations against judge
Aydın Sefa Akay, who was
arrested over what
authorities said were
links to Fethullah Gulen,
an exiled cleric
considered an enemy by
Turkish president Recep
Tayyip
Erdogan. After
Turkey asserted its veto
over Akay’s position at
The Hague, the UN
secretary general
acquiesced with the
“flimsy justification” and
removed the judge last
year, despite protests by
his colleagues, Flügge
said."
January 30-4: On
the SG's GSDM, on which
your Office has refused to
or confirm that 349 posts
would be reduced at
Entebbe, please respond to
the statements by ex PGA
Kutesa that the SG hired
"the same consultant" and
that Uganda will fight it.
Also respond to Yoweri
Museveni saying the UN is
supporting / maintaining
terrorism in DRC and
elsewhere.
January 30-5: On
Cameroon, again, what are
the read-outs of his six
conversations with Paul
Biya and most recently of
Francois Fall's visit
there?
January
29-2: On South Sudan
and UN impunity,
again, what is the
SG's response to the
petition Inner City
Press sent you
yesterday from South
Sudan about (his)
peacekeepers killing
two civilians
there?
January
29-3: On Sri Lanka,
given the newly
assembled evidence
regarding Shavendra
Silva, formerly UN
Peacekeeping adviser
now Sri Lanka Army
Chief of Staff, how
can the SG and USG
Lacroix continue to
deploy Silva's
troops as
peacekeepers? What
vetting is taking
place? What is the
SG's and USG's
comment and action
on this individual
as chief of staff of
an army the UN has
been taking troops
from?
January
29-4: Again, please
immediately state
why the Secretary
General did not
bother to attend the
9 am UNSC "urgent"
meeting on Venezuela
on January
26.
January
29-5: On China, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
the court in Hubei
province has
sentenced Liu
Feiyue, of the human
rights news website
Minsheng Guancha
("Civil Rights and
Livelihood Watch")
to a five-year jail
term for "inciting
state
subversion"?
January
29-6: Please explain
how it is legitimate
to ban from enter
into the UN the
media that has been
asking about these
and other questions,
with no hearing or
appeal.
January
28-1: On South
Sudan, please
immediately confirm
UN receipt of the
petition about the
killing of two
civilians by UNMISS,
Morris Kenyi Loburi
and Legge Moses
Kwatli, and
separately what the
SG response and
action is. Again,
please also
immediately confirm
or deny that (1) the
nationality of the
"international"
charged with sexual
exploitation is
Nigerian; separately
(2) that the
individual's name is
Mr. Olayinka
Adeyemi, (3) that he
work(ed) for
the "Code of
Conduct" Unit.
Please respond to
UNMISS sources
saying the
nationality was
withheld, unlike in
other cases, because
he and the DSG are
from Nigeria.
January
28-2: On Cameroon,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on Paul Biya's
security forces
using live fire on
unarmed opposition
figures including
lawyer Michelle
Ndoki and Celestin
Djamenin in Douala
over the weekend?
The arrest of more
than 100
demonstrators? Given
previous questions
and "commitments,"
why was Inner City
Press not told of
the Francois
Lounceny Fall visit
to Cameroon
mentioned at the
January 25 noon
briefing? What is
the read-out of
that, and of the
SG's six
conversations with
Biya?
January
28-3: Please
immediately state
why the Secretary
General did not
bother to attend the
9 am UNSC "urgent"
meeting on Venezuela
on January 26.
January
28-4: On Somalia,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the complaint by
Somaliland that
Qatar's provision of
63 APCs to the
goverment in
Mogadishu (1) may
fall or have already
fallen into Al
Shabab's hands and
separetely (2)
violate the arms
embargo on
Somalia?
January
28-5: Why have the
public financial
disclosures not been
updated? On
financial
disclosure, please
today answer 1) How
many times has the
Ethics Office
released the
information to
assist in an
investigation? 2)
What is to stop a
senior staff member
who may be
benefitting from
corruption or some
other illegal
activity putting
those illegally
acquired assets in
the name of their
spouse or their
children?
January
28-6: On China, what
is the SG's comment
and action on human
rights lawyer Wang
Quanzhang being
sentenced today to
4-1/2 years in
prison on the charge
of "subversion of
state power"?
January
28-7: On Nigeria,
what is the SG's -
and separately DSG's
-- comments and
actions on President
Buhari suspending
Justice Walter
Onnoghen as the
Chief Justice of
Nigeria? What has
the DSG been doing
in Nigeria at this
time?
January
25-1: On Cameroon
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the Army's
killing of youths
this week in Muyuka
in the SW Region?
Again, what are the
read-outs and dates
of the SG's six
conversations with
Paul Biya? How much
of the money sought
yesterday by the
Resident Coordinator
would be channeled
through the Biya'
government?
January
25-2: On South Sudan
and the questions
you have refused to
answer, immediately
confirm or deny that
(1) the nationality
of the
"international"
charged with sexual
exploitation is
Nigerian; separately
(2) that the
individual's name is
Mr. Olayinka
Adeyemi, (3) that he
work(ed) for
the "Code of
Conduct" Unit.
Please respond to
UNMISS sources
saying the
nationality was
withheld, unlike in
other cases, because
he and the DSG are
from Nigeria.
January
25-3: On the killing
of two civilians by
the UN in South
Sudan, on which you
have refused to
answer Inner City
Press' question
despite Spox
Dujarric on camera
statement that
questions would be
answered, please
immediately confirm
that it took place
at Durupi camp as
they were doing UN
contracted work on
the fence, and state
what accountability
there has been, and
the nationality -
and separately
name(s) - of the
shooter(s).
January
25-4: On UN
corruption and South
Sudan, please
immediate respond to
what whistleblowers
have told Inner City
Press, that bringing
everything in this
country. Whiskey and
Cigarette under SOFA
agreement,” the
Customs Service
revealed. UNMISS
General Ayii said
has a sub-contractor
called "Tri-Star"
Company, an Indian
company which has
been dealing in
these goods.
However, he said the
government would
soon review the tax
exemption policy
regarding UN
agencies in South
Sudan. This comes
after the
institution found
out that it has been
losing billions of
pounds to some goods
imported by the UN
agencies and
humanitarian
groups. “I
have been in Nimule
as chief customs
officer for 8 years,
so I know any secret
of any NGO in this
country,” he said.
He questioned the
purpose for which
these items are
brought given the
frequency of their
importation into the
country “How come
the UNMISS brings
200 JET A1 in every
month, or even Solar
panels and fuel, 200
and 300 every
month.”
UNMISS gave for some
companies to bring
items in the name of
UN and nobody knows
the whereabout of
the items. There are
stores giving the
service in the
UNMISS but did not
go proper bidding .
They are importing
tax free items for
the stuff but they
are selling
expensive more than
the outside
stores.
,
