UNITED NATIONS
GATE, March 1
– 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 March 1 three hours before a Dujarric
briefing at
which he asked
a scam Cameroon
question from one of
his favorites who has
said "the Anglophones
did some shooting
today" then admitted
she has
never reported on
Cameroon,
Inner City Press
submitted 571 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 28-3,
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.
March
1-1: What is the
SG's comment and
action on NGO
reports that
Tanzania harasses
Burundian refugees
in the hope that
they will return
home?
March
1-2: Also on
Tanzania, what is
the SG's comment and
action if any on
that Tanzania has
suspended a leading
newspaper and its
website for a week
accusing it of
falsely reporting
currency exchange
rates. The
action against The
Citizen newspaper
follows growing
complaints by
opposition
supporters and civil
society groups at
what they say are
moves to stifle
dissent and create
obstacles for
journalists and
rights
activists?
March
1-3: On Thailand,
what is the SG's and
separately wider
UN's comment and
action on the
disappearance of
political activist
Surachai
Danwattananusorn and
the murder of his
two close
aides?
March
1-4: Please
immediately state if
your Office will be
releasing the SG's
presentation for
today at 3 pm
"Informal Meeting of
the General Assembly
Plenary to hear a
Briefing by the
Secretary-General on
the Financial
Situation" and if
not, why not? If so,
please email it to
Inner City Press
which has been
banned from any
entry of the UN for
240 days with no
appeal.
March
1-5: On Algeria and
press freedom, what
is the SG's comment
and action if any on
that a dozen
Algerian journalists
participating in a
rally in the center
of Algiers against
"censorship" were
arrested this week
by the police?
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
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...
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
27-4: 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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