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As UN Bans Inner City Press E-Asks Spox Dujarric Of  UN Sex Abuse China Corruption Sri Lanka Rohingya Cameroon Nigeria DSG Censorship 400+ UNanswered

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, April 18 – 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 18 more than two hours before the UN noon briefing, Inner City Press submitted 732 questions, including why it continues to be lawlessly banned from entering to ask questions in person: "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, 3-17. 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 18-1:  On UN sexual abuse and exploitation, please immediately provide all if-asked further information about the allegations put online on April 17 regarding Burundi and South Africa peacekeepers and still the Cameroon troops' rape allegations you have not provide any further information on.

April 18-2:  On China and its UN Mission and the SG's links, what are the comments and actions if any of the SG and separately USG Alison Smale (who has praised Xiamen Airlines) to that Ying Lin pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), without notification to the Attorney General, by working at the direction and control of military officers assigned to the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations.  Lin, a former manager with an international air carrier headquartered in the PRC (the Air Carrier), abused her privileges to transport packages from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK Airport) to the PRC aboard Air Carrier flights at the behest of the PRC military officers and in violation of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations? Can the UN say that the air carrier is NOT Xiamen Airlines? What inquiry has the UN made? 

April 18-3:  On Sri Lanka, please immediately provide the UN's read out of yesterday's SG meeting and separately confirm or deny this Sri Lankan government account: "UN Secretary-General António Guterres has offered support for Sri Lanka's reconciliation efforts.  Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera who is in New York to represent Sri Lanka at the Financing for Development Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations.  At the meeting, the Secretary-General recalled his visits to Sri Lanka in the past including his first visit in 1978.  Stating that he was impressed by the peaceful resolution of the recent political crisis in Sri Lanka." 

April 18-4:  On the Rohingya, what is the SG's comment and action if any on that the Hyderabad police on Wednesday arrested three Myanmar refugees for impersonating as Indians to secure Aadhaar and other identity cards. The police said that the refugees, who were Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, also obtained voter cards, ration cards and had applied for an Indian passport.  Officials also said that they were availing benefits under welfare schemes meant for Indian citizens.  The accused were identified as 25-year-old Ibrahim, 34-year-old Noor ul Ameen and 28-year-old Shaik Azhar. They were possessing cards issued by UNHCR? 

April 18-5:  On press freedom and Nigeria, what are the comments and actions if any of the SG and separately Amina J. Mohammed to that the Daily Nigerian's editor-in-chief says that "in November, the Kano state government filed a civil suit against me for publishing videos of the governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly receiving bribes. Government officials tried to persuade me not to publish the videos. But I stood my ground and I published.  I have received a lot of threats [from people saying] “We know where you are, and we know how to deal with you.” I went into hiding for about a month.... In his defamation complaint, the governor said that the reports were false, according to court documents seen by CPJ. Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a spokesperson for Ganduje, told CPJ he was unable to comment on Jaafar’s case because it is already in the court. What is each of yours - particularly the SG's - response to the letter written and sent by Burundi activist Manisha Lievin? To the April 15 letter to the SG, DSG and USG Smale for which receipt has not even been acknowledged, other than a single lawless line from MALU: "Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M66561081, has been declined"? This is a formal request for the UN's explanation of grounds for this denied, and since SGcentral, the SG's chief of staff and Deputy SG and USG Smale haven't even confirmed receipt of the April 15 letter much less responded, for reconsideration. 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 15-3: On Burundi, what is the SG's comment and action if any on the six schoolgirls and one boy, arrested last month for doodling on the Burundian president’s photo and charged with “insulting the head of state" and expelled them permanently from the school, now facing charges of “insulting the head of state"? 

April 12-1: On Cameroon, what is the comment and action of the SG, beyond the golden statue, on that Aafarmer believed to be in his fourties has been attacked by elements of the Cameroon defence forces. The incident occurred at the Mile 16 neigbourhood in Buea, South West Region MMI has learnt. “I was in the house waiting for someone to come collect oil I brought from the farm the previous day when I saw the door forced open. I was asked if I live here. I answered with a yes, and I was asked to show the hideouts of Ambazonian fighters. I told them I don’t know the people they are asking after and that I’m just a farmer. They accused me of knowing them but I told them I could only recognise them as soldiers because I can see from their outfits (uniforms). As I insisted I don’t know the whereabout of those they are searching for, they started beating me. One of them proposed I should be killed and the other refused. They took my machete and repeatedly cut me on different parts on my body. They broke my doors and the doors of a neighbour who had died? 

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? 

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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