UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 26
– 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 26
three hours before a Dujarric
briefing at
which he said
that Guterres
uses his
correspondents
to get his message
and "ideals"
out, and
blathered an answer
to a question
Inner City
Press has
asked him in
writing
for a week without
response, Inner City
Press submitted 558 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 partial
response to Question
Feb 8-8, 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 nor 31 nor
February 1 nor 4 nor
5 nor 6 nor 7 nor 11
nor 12 nor 13 nor 14
or 15 nor 18 nor 19
nor 20 nor 21 nor 22
nor 25. 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
26-1: On Libya, what
is the SG's comment
and action on
reports that at
least 19 people have
been killed in
southern Libya, as
forces loyal to
Khalifa Haftar
fought for control
of oilfields in the
region.
Haftar's Libyan
National Army (LNA)
killed civilians,
including children,
and set fire to more
than 30 houses in
the southern city of
Murzuq?
February
26-2: On sexual
abuse and
exploitation, beyond
the if-asked
information about
recent cases Inner
City Press has
requested that your
Office has refused
to provide as it
previously did, what
is the SG's response
to the criticism
that his "civil
society advisory
group" is misnamed,
not representative
of civil
society?
February
26-3: On Sudan, what
is the SG's comment
and action on the
extended state of
emergency and other
crackdowns announced
by Omar al Bashir?
Again, how many
times has Mr.
Guterres met ICC
indicted Bashir, and
why?
February
26-4: On Venezuela
and the the press
freedom the SG spoke
about in Geneva
yesterday, what is
his comment and
action if any on the
reported detention
of Univision's Jorge
Ramos by the
authorities? AGAIN,
immediately 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.
February
25-1: On Chad and
France, on which
your Office has
refused to answer
for three weeks, now
it is alleged that
the rebel group
France bombed is
funded by Qatar.
What is the SG's
comment and action,
including in light
of evidence UN NGO
China Energy Fund
Committee offered
weapons for oil to
Idriss Deby. Again,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on the now second
set of French
airstrikes on
Chad?
February
25-2: On UN
spending, DGACM and
OSSC, please confirm
or deny that
Argentina informed
DGACM is would /
could not pay to fly
UN interpreters
business class to
the upcoming OSSC
meeting there, and
that interpreters
have been cajoled to
"volunteer" to fly
economy by being
given additional
time off, to be paid
for by all member
states. Also, is USG
Pollard flying
economy - or
business class?
Why?
February
25-3: On Cyprus,
conflict and
conflict change,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on that Turkey is
about to start
offshore drilling
with two vessels
around the island of
Cyprus, Turkish
foreign minister
said on Feb.
21. February
25-4: On retaliation
in the UN system,
what is the SG's
comment and action
if any on Francis
Gurry dismissing
WIPO whistleblower
Wei Lei on dubious
grounds? Confirm
SG's receipt of Wei
Lei's letter, and
separately provide
the SG's
comment /
response.
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