UNITED NATIONS
GATE, March 27
– 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 27 more
than an hour
before a
UN noon briefing by
Dujarric
in
which he had
a faux colloquy
with his partner in
censorship
from Qatar
state media
Al Jazeera,
Inner
City Press submitted 669 questions: "There
are more than 400+
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
nor March 1-26 (!)
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
27-1: On
Cameroon, what
is the SG's
comment and
action on the
search of houses
in Soppo, Buea
by security
forces after
they were tipped
of the presence
of Ambazonia
fighters in the
area. Residents
confirm the
military is
checking
Identity Cards
in each home
from Campaign
Street One to
Seven. “We don’t
know why houses
and ID cards are
being checked
but we are all
indoors and
scared” reported
one Soppo
resident.
The search
started with
Barrister Agbor
Balla’s office.”
Another Soppo
resident
hinted. As
a matter of
fact, some
military men
encircled the
office of Bar.
Agbor Felix
Balla, this
morning while he
was still
home?
March
27-2: On
Nigeria, what
are the comments
and actions of
the SG and,
separately, DSG
Amina J.
Mohammed on
that The
Nigerian
government is
still to
implement a
decision by the
Federal High
Court in Abuja
ordering the
return of 46
persons arrested
in Nigeria and
deported to
Cameroon amongst
them separatist
leader Julius
Ayuk Tabe.
The court ruled
that the arrests
were in
violation of
their status as
refugees and
asylum seekers
and Femi Fala in
a letter dated
March 20 to
Abubakar Malami
(SAN),
Attorney-General
of the
Federation urged
the government
to respect the
ruling.
“In view
of the
foregoing, we
are compelled to
request you to
use your good
offices to
advise the
Federal
Government to
comply with the
aforesaid
judgments of the
Federal High
Court without
any further
delay. “In
particular, you
may wish to draw
the attention of
the relevant
authorities to
the case of the
Minister of
Internal Affairs
v. Alhaji
Shugaba Darman
(1982) 3 NCLR
915 where the
respondent who
had been
illegally
deported to the
Republic of Chad
by the Federal
Government was
brought back to
Nigeria in
compliance with
the orders of
the Borno State
High Court
presided over by
the Honourable
Justice Oye
Adefila of
blessed
memory.”
March
27-3: On UN
bribery, on
March 25 Patrick
Ho of the China
Energy Fund
Committee was
sentenced to 36
months in prison
and a $400,000
fine for his UN
bribery; in
today's
proceeding Ho
was described as
using a UN NGO
to "sell weapons
enthusiastically."
What now is SG
Antonio
Guterres'
comment and
action? Will he
now begin an
audit of CEFC in
the UN?
What is the SG's
comment and
response to this 22 minute
documentary
about Patrick Ho
and CEFC's
bribes through
the UN including
Mr. Guterres'
refusal to
answer Inner
City Press'
question on it
on 5 December
2018 at Min
17 Again,
the
sentencing
memorandum
includes quotes
from his e-mails
regarding aiming
to violate
sanctions and
deal in arms not
only to Chad but
also South
Sudan, Libya
& Qatar.
What is the SG's
comment and
action? Again,
why has no audit
even been begun
of CEFC, at
least like the
one Mr.
Guterres'
predecessor did
of Ng Lap Seng's
Sun Kian Ip
Foundation? Why
did Mr Guterres
omit payments
from Gulbenkian
Foundation,
which sought to
sell its oil
company Partex
to CEFC China
Energy, from his
public financial
disclosure
covering 2016?
Where are the
more recent
public financial
disclosures -
has Mr. Guterres
ended that
program?
Why?
March
27-4: On Brunei,
what is the SG's
comment and
action on
pending
provisions in
Brunei’s Penal
Code would allow
stoning and
amputation as
punishments –
including for
children. These
punishments are
provided for in
newly-implemented
sections of the
Brunei
Darussalam
Syariah Penal
Code that are
due to come into
force on 3 April
2019, according
to a discreet
notice on the
Attorney
General’s website.
March
27-5: On China,
what is the SG's
position,
comment and
action on
China's vice
governor of
Tibet Norbu
Dondrup saying
earlier today
"The human
rights situation
in Tibet, I can
tell everyone,
is not just
good, but very
good." What is
the SG doing
about this
issue?
March
27-6: On freedom
of thought and
expression and
China, what is
the SG's comment
and action on
the law
professor at
Tsinghua
University who
openly
criticised
Chinese
President Xi
Jinping has been
suspended and
placed under
investigation by
the university,
according to one
of his
colleagues and
several
academics
familiar with
the situation.
Xu Zhangrun, 56,
was suspended
this month after
he wrote several
articles
criticising
Beijing over
political and
social
issues?
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.
March
26-2: On
"reform," on
March 15 it was
said that 27 new
Resident
Coordinators are
being recruited.
Since these are
not on the SG's
webpage, not
this specific
question:
Renaud Meyer has
announced
himself as the
new
Thailand RR
-- -
is/was this one
of the 27 posts
the SG and DSG
are recruiting
for? Where are
these
recruitment
notices? Again,
please
immediately
state which 27
RC positions are
being recruited
for, and how
much it will
cost the UN and
the
public.
March
26-3: On UN
sexual abuse and
exploitation,
please
immediately
provide until
now withheld
specifics on
this: " A Fijian
UN peacekeeper
was dismissed
from duty last
year after
engaging in
sexual
exploitation
while stationed
in Lebanon,
official records
show. The
incident...
has not
previously been
reported."
Again, on the
SEA report which
was not sent to
Inner City Press
by the UN but by
others, and
which Inner City
Press
voluntarily
refrained from
reporting on
until the 10 am
deadline, please
before 10 am
explain (a) six
allegations were
considered
conduct in
violation of
non-fraternization
policies and not
to contain
indications of
sexual
exploitation or
abuse -
question: did
these cases not
involve sex? (b)
four allegations
involved sexual
harassment,
physical assault
and paternity
claims, which
were considered
not to contain
indications of
sexual
exploitation and
abuse -
question: isn't
fathering a
child with a
beneficiary of
UN "assistance"
per se
exploitation?
(c) three
allegations
involved sexual
assaults between
United Nations
personnel, but
not with
beneficiaries of
assistance -
question:
confirm this was
"blue on blue,"
on which the UN
has previously
refused to
answer Inner
City Press; (d)
one allegation
involved a
member of United
Nations
personnel not
associated with
a peacekeeping
mission; one
allegation did
not involve
sexual
exploitation and
abuse - question
- what are the
bases of these
statement?; and
one allegation
was received by
OIOS in 2018 but
will be recorded
in 2019, once it
is referred to
the Member State
concerned -
question: what
is the member
state concerned
and what have
they done, as of
18 March
2019?
March
25-4: On Sri
Lanka, what is
the SG's comment
and action if
any on this
footage of a non
violent protest
by Puttalam
villagers
protesting
against a
proposed garbage
landfill in
Aruwakkalu being
cracked down on
by police?
March
25-5: On your /
Spokesperson
Dujarric's
recent podcast
interview,
please
immediately
explain what was
meant by a
relationship
with journalists
of "mutually
assured
destruction" -
and why the
podcast links
are mostly
404/no longer
online.
March
25-8: On the
SG's March 22
appearance on
96th Street,
please
immediately
provide the name
of the UN DSS
officer who
spoke to NYPD on
96th Street to
get them to
restraint in
advance Inner
City Press while
UN Photo and
others like AP
walked freely,
the basis for
this censorship
and any and all
records
regarding
it.
March
18-2: On Kenya,
what is the SG's
comment and the
UN's action on
the starvation
in
Turkana?
March
18-6: What is
the SG's comment
and action on
this, copied to
Inner City
Press, on a
"possible FCPA
violation may
have occurred
between
Microsoft
Corporation and
the United
Nations [now
see here.]
March
15-1: On
Cameroon, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any on
that 26 people
who were
arrested in
Cameroon in
January during
protests called
by opposition
leader Maurice
Kamto have been
given one-year
jail terms for
“illegal
gathering and
demonstration”
or just planning
to take part in
a non-political
demonstration?
What does the UN
say about the
reported murder
of civilians by
Biya's forces
yesterday in Sop
and Melim?
March
8-2: On UN
corruption and
bribery,
yesterday
evening Inner
City Press saw
in front of the
UN and
questioned
Francis Lorenzo,
who pleaded
guilty to UN
bribery. Please
immediately
state the last
time convicted
UN bribery felon
Francis Lorenzo
entered the UN
(same for former
El Salvador
Ambassador
Carlos Garcia,
who it was shown
facilitied
Lorenzo's
illegal acts,
and for Patrick
Ho), and state
whether Lorenzo
is affiliated in
any way to the
Dominican
Republic mission
to the UN.
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