UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 28
– 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 28
two hours before a Dujarric
briefing at
which he said
the US has not contacted
Guterres prior to the
afternoon Venezuela
vote(s), Inner
City Press submitted 566 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 nor 26 nor
27. 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
28-1: On UN (lack
of) transparency, in
light of SG Guterres
Feb 18 assurance to
official that only
he, the Ethics
Office and those he
authorizes in
writing will see any
of their financial
disclosure, please
immediately state
wha is the status of
the now outdated
PUBLIC financial
disclosures, and why
Mr. Guterres omitted
Gulbenkian
Foundation from his
most recent one
online covering
2016, when he was
paid by Gulbenkian
(which tried to sell
its oil company to
CEFC China
Energy).
February
28-2: On Cameroon,
what is the SG's
comment and action
on opposition leader
Maurice Kamto being
tried in military
court, his
supporters held over
at least through
March 19?
February
28-3: On Sudan, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
Omar al-Bashir has
adopted five decrees
restricting civil
rights while
expanding the powers
of the security
forces. They now
have the right to
search any building,
restrict the
movement of people
and public
transport, or arrest
those suspected of
crimes related to
the state of
emergency. Again,
how many times has
Mr. Guterres met ICC
indicted Bashir, and
why? [Partial
answer here.]
February
28-4: On UN immunity
/ impunity, what is
the SG's response to
yesterday's US
Supreme Court
decision in JAG v.
IFC limiting the
immunity of
international
organizations? Will
he consent to legal
review of the
cholera the UN
brought to Haiti,
and closer to home,
the roughing up and
banning of the Press
with no hearing or
appeal?
February
27-1: On your
Office's refusal to
answer Inner City
Press' written
questions about
sexual abuse and
exploitation
allegations against
UN peacekeepers
including in CAR,
please in light of
the outgoing SRSG
Parfait
Onanga-Anyanga's
statement to Inner
City Press on the
evening of February
26 that the UN is
transparent (and to
keep pushing),
please immediately
provided the
requested if-asked
information,
particuarly but not
only about the
allegations of rape
by Cameroon
soldiers, or explain
why you have ceased
providing such
information.
February
27-2: On Somalia,
please immediately
provide information
and back-up for
what's in UNSOS
letter to the Somali
government about
taxes and visas -
and explain why this
is not "impolite"
but Haysom's letter
on human rights was,
as the SG told his
Town Hall
meeting.
February
27-3: On Sudan, what
is the SG's comment
and action on that
Omar al-Bashir on
Monday ordered that
only rallies
approved by the
authorities would be
allowed to be held,
as he announced a
slew of measures to
end demonstrations
against his rule?
Again, how many
times has Mr.
Guterres met ICC
indicted Bashir, and
why?
February
27-4: On Western
Sahara and freedom
of speech, please
immediately explain
or deny this, from
Morocco's AlMassae,
that MINURSO chief
Kohler is taking
seriously alleged
threats against the
mission’s members by
pro-Polisario
elements on the
social medias.
MINURSO and UN
police have recently
examined in New York
ways to address
these threats
including deploying
UN police elements.
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
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
26-4: 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?
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