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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Spox Dujarric About Somalia Cameroon Turkey China SG Censorship 400+ UNanswered

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A, NY Post

UNITED NATIONS GATE, April 10 – 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 April 10 more than three hours before the UN noon briefing, Inner City Press submitted 706 questions: "There are more than 400+ questions UNanswered. And Monday Sept 17, Tuesday Sept 18, Wed Sept 19 and  Thurs and Fri Sept 21, that whole week, no questions answered. Nor Sept 25, nor 28th - nor October 2 nor 3. While appreciating and using what was sent on March 28 in partial request to Inner City Press' questions about the UN bribery sentence of Patrick Ho of CEFC and CEFC's 2018 attempt to buy the oil company of Gulbenkian Foundation which paid the SG, 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. 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 nor 15 nor 18 nor 19 nor 20 nor 21 nor 22 nor 25 nor 26 nor 27 nor March 1 - 27 (!) And now April 1, 3-9. 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. 

April 10-1: On Somalia and UN sexual abusers, what is the SG's comment and particularly action on the UNDT finding that a convicted rapist was sent by the UN to Somalia? What is the SG's comment to the Somalia people, particularly women? As reported today by Inner City Press, citing UNDT/2019/045, it was UNDT itself which said it has confirmed that the person UNICEF sent to Somalia was "was imprisoned at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York State, United States of America, following a conviction on charges of rape in the first degree; unlawful imprisonment in the first degree; burglary in the second degree and assault in the second degree." Who will be held accountable? 

April 10-2: On Cameroon, what is SG Guterres' comment and action if any after the golden statue on that on 4 April 2019 Cameroonian soldiers, gendarmes, and members of the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) carried out a deadly attack on the North-West region village of Meluf, killing at least five civilian men, including one with a mental disability, and wounded one woman?Three of the bodies were later found mutilated, including one that had been decapitated. 

April 10-3: On Turkey, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that on March 20, 2019, an Istanbul court convicted 18 lawyers on terrorism charges for links with an outlawed leftist armed group. Among the lawyers convicted, 11 received prison sentences ranging from 8 years to 13 years 6 months and one received an 18-year-9-month sentence. Selçuk Kozağaçlı, a human rights lawyer and head of the Contemporary Lawyers Association, which was closed down under Turkey’s state of emergency, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in the case? 

April 10-4: On China and freedom of the press and of association, what is the SG's comment and action, other than trying to move UN jobs to Shenzhen, on that Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are repeatedly interrogating detained editor and labor activist Wei Zhili, his wife said following a recent visit by his lawyer to the detention center.  Wei was initially detained in the provincial capital Guangzhou in January, while Wei and others were detained on March 20. He is currently being held under criminal detention at the No. 2 Detention Center in Guangdong's Shenzhen city?  What is each of yours - particularly the SG's - response to the letter written and sent by Burundi activist Manisha Lievin? 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.

April 9-1: On South Sudan, please immediately deny or confirm and explain the reduction of services in Tompking Camp, the workers tell Inner City Press due to strike. What are the UN and SG and SRSG doing about this? 

April 9-2: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that on April 5, the Ministry of the Territorial Administration issued a press release banning the demonstrations between April 6 and 13, accusing the opposition MRC of destabilising the country? 

April 8-3: What is the SG's comment, explanation and planned action on the deferral, again, of his ill-fated GSDM proposal in the Fifth Committee on Friday? How many jobs would Uganda lose? How could African states be served from... Montreal?  Why was Shenzhen, China included to get UN jobs in his newest version? 

April 4-2: On UN bribery and censorship, what now is the SG's comment and response to the April 3article in Serbia about CEFC which Mr Guterres has refused to audit - and about his refusal to answer, and censorship of Press "Gutereš had and had his own financial link with the CEFC, through the Gulbenkian Foundation. On the orders of Guteres, on June 22 and July 3, 2018, the security came to me, and I was banned from reporting from the UN. In fact, Gutereš took advantage of his security from the UN to distance me from his speech at the Park East Synagogue, and recently physically stopped me while he entered the mosque in 96th Street"  and now this  - "Patrick Ho, a businessman who was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the world's corrupting affair, claims investigative journalist Matthew Russell Li in the documentary "Hong Kong Connection, Patrick Ho's List." Li, in a documentary broadcast on the Hong Kong Radio-Television portal, revealed Jeremic's role in this affair, a tens of millions of dollars, as well as his private dilutes, which he made while serving as the chairman of the United Nations General Assembly.  - Jeremic's testimony at the Ho trial was problematic because he turned out to be working for "CEFC Energy" (a Chinese conglomerate led by Ho, prim. Aut.) While serving as the chairman of the UN General Assembly. He took their money, exchanged e-mails with them ... He did many things. It is surprising to me that the focus of the prosecution was at Ho. The prosecutors used his testimony to show how Ho established a relationship, and in fact what Jeremic was doing might be worse for the public - Li said.  Investigative reporters also uncovered the flows of money flowing to Jeremic's accounts. Hoov CEFC paid Jeremic as a consultant a total of $ 5.3 million. It turns out that some companies that paid this money are completely phantom, because they do not exist at the registered addresses at all."  As always, what is the process of appealing or getting a hearing on the now 274 day ban amid this questions, or process to reapply which was denied summarily on 2 January 2019? How is this not censorship?)  and the translated 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, and that Inner City Press for allegedly not complying with interview "rules" has been disqualified from reporting within the UN?  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? 

April 3-5: On Cameroon and freedom of expression, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that "popular makossa icon Longkana Ango Simon aka Longue Longue was on Tuesday arrested in Douala by security forces, sources have said. Sources say Longue Longue was arrested at a hotel in Douala before he was ferried to the Judicial Police in Bonanjo for questioning.  Though no reeason has been advanced for his arrest, sources say it could be connected to a recent video the artist published on social media criticising the regime in place.  In the video released last week, the artist claimed the detained leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Maurice Kamto had won the October 7 Presidential election but did not provide proofs to back his claims up.  He accused incumbent Paul Biya of stealing Kamto’s challenging the regime to organise elections city by city and Kamto will emerge winner.  He described Maurice Kamto’s arrest and detention as politically motivated"? What is each of yours - particularly the SG's - response to the letter written and sent by Burundi activist Manisha Lievin? 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.

April 1-2: Given UN consultants' testimony to Inner City Press about being misled by the UN about their tax liabilities, and criticism of the UN for shirking responsibilities to its host countries and works, what IS the UN policy ont the (over) use of consultants to avoid paying benefits, specifically at UNOPS in Geneva about which Inner City Press has previously asked without answer, and now also in Bonn? 

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. 

More here.

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