UNITED NATIONS
GATE, May 14
–- 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 May 13
more than
three hours
before a UN
noon briefing
in which
Dujarric's
Deputy Farhan
Haq had
only three
in-person
questioners
Inner City
Press submitted 826
questions,
including why
it continues
to be
lawlessly banned
from entering
to ask
questions in
person:
"There
are more than
500+
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 belatedly
sent on
May 8 about sexual
exploitation
allegations
and 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, 3-30 (one
answer
in the
entire month -
corrupt), and
now May
1-10.
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.
May
14-1: On
China, human
rights and
NYC, what is
the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that a
state-owned
Chinese
shipping
company
refused to
lease an
office space
in NYC
to
Amnesty
International
USA? Cosco
Shipping
acquired
Orient
Overseas in
2017, and took
ownership the
company’s real
estate
investments,
including the
office
building in
question,
called Wall
Street
Plaza.
Amnesty said
the
organization
was told that
it is “not the
best tenant”
for a building
owned by a
Chinese
state-owned
firm...
May
14-2: [Drew a
rare response,
which we
immediately
published in
full, here.]
May
14-3: On
Malaysia, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that
Praphan
Pipithnamporn
(above), who
is an asylum
seeker
registered
with the
United Nations
High
Commissioner
for Refugees
(UNHCR), could
face
persecution in
Thailand.
Praphan fled
to Malaysia in
January this
year, after
the Thai
authorities
issued an
arrest warrant
against her,
accusing her
of sedition
and organised
crime over her
involvement in
the
Organization
for Thai
Federation, a
group that is
critical of
the monarchy
and calls for
a republic on
social
media?
May
14-4: On the
Public
Financial
Disclosures
for 2017
belatedly
published over
the weekend of
April 27-28,
please state
why the
Executive
Secretary of
the UN
Biodiversity
Convention,
Cristiana
Paşca-Palmer,
like UNICEF's
Henriette
Fore, with
documented
links to
ExxonMobil and
others, USG
Mark Lowcock
(undisclosed
while the
Secretariat's
speaker at the
UNSC Arria on
Cameroon),
UNCTAD's
Mukhisa
Kituyi, UN
Women's
Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka,
UNOG chief
Michael
Moller, UNDP
chief Achim
Steiner,
Heidi Mendoza,
Adama Dieng,
UN Security
chief Peter
Drennan,
Rosemary
DiCarlo and
Nicholas
Haysum, is not
even on the
list. OIOS
chief
Inga-Britt
Ahlenius
reported - why
not Mendoza?
Where IS
Mendoza? Isn't
it a bad
practice for
the UN's head
(anti)
genocide
definition
official to
conceal from
the public
even cursory
financial
disclosure?
Did DiCarlo
decline to
make any
public
disclosure
despite being
the UN's top
political
officer? What
is the even
plausible
applicability
of this line
from SG
Guterres' web
page: "Please
note that
given the
multi-cultural
environment of
the UN and the
often security
sensitive
locations
where UN staff
are either
working or
come from,
full public
disclosure may
not always be
a viable or
sensible
option for
certain staff
members"? Why
has Guterres
changed the
previous
system in a
which a
"choosing not
to disclose"
statement was
upload and
listed, to one
which helps
conceal who
reports and
who does
not?
Again, state
why
considering
the UN bribery
conviction of
Patrick Ho of
CEFC, and
CEFC's attempt
to purchase
the oil
company of
Gulbenkian
Foundation
which paid Mr.
Guterres in
2016 was
omitted from
his online
public
financial
disclosure
covering 2016,
and why
Guterres has
not even
started an
audit of CEFC
in the
UN.
May
14-5: Also on
China, what is
the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that China
may forcibly
deport seven
detained North
Koreans who
face a grave
risk of
torture and
other abuses
if returned to
North Korea?
The three
women, three
men, and a
10-year-old
girl in the
group are
being detained
in Liaoning
province. Some
of the group
left North
Korea in
recent weeks
and others
have lived for
several years
in China’s
border area.
Chinese
authorities
apprehended
them on April
28,
2019.
May
14-6: On press
freedom and
Cameroon, what
is the SG's
comment and
belated action
is any on the
journalists
unjustly
detaining
including but
not limited to
journalists
remain in
prison:
- Mancho
Bibixy,
arrested Jan.
17, 2019;
Amadou
Vamoulké,
arrested July
29, 2016;
Thomas Awah
Junior,
arrested Jan.
2, 2017; and
Tsi Conrad,
arrested Dec.
8, 2016? 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
May
13-3: On
Somalia, the
UN and AMISOM,
what is the
UN's knowledge
and action if
any on that a
Ugandan
"peacekeeper"
deployed in
Mogadishu shot
his
administration
officer dead
before killing
himself? Four
soldiers in
total died in
the Saturday
shooting
incident.
The Uganda
People's
Defence Force
(UPDF)
spokesperson,
Brig Richard
Karemire, to
the contrary,
said only two
soldiers
perished and
investigators
are working to
establish the
motive of the
errant
soldier.
“The motive
isn’t yet
known. We want
to know
whether he was
insane or
not"?
May
9-7: Given the
findings about
UNAIDS under
Michel Sidibe,
what is the
SG's comment
and view on
him being
named the
minister of
health of
Mali, where
the UN has a
mission?
May
6-3: On Fiji,
in the run up
to SG
Guterres'
visit there,
what is his
comment and
action if any
on that more
than thirty
union members
were in police
custody
overnight
including the
national
secretary of
the Fiji
Trades Union
Congress,
Felix
Anthony?
May
3-6: On press
freedom and
the African
continent,
beyond what SG
Guterres has
remained
silent on in
Cameroon, what
are his
belated
comments and
actions if any
on, for
example, that
two
journalists
from the
Comores,
Abdallah Abdou
Hassane and
Oubeidillah
Mchangama,
working for
critical news
outlet FCFK,
were arrested
and are facing
multiple
charges
including
defamation,
disturbing
public order,
incitement to
violence,
offence
against the
head of state,
insulting the
magistrate,
and forgery?
Two popular
bloggers in
Mauritania,
Abderrahmane
Weddady and
Sheikh Ould
Jiddou were
detained for
republishing
and commenting
on a story
that had made
the headlines
in various
international
media
outlets.
In Harare,
Lovejoy
Mutongwiza, a
reporter with
263Chat, was
taking
pictures of a
joint
operation by
the ZRP
working with
the Harare
municipal
police to
arrest vendors
operating in
the vicinity
of the 263Chat
offices.
Lovejoy
reports that
he was pursued
into the media
outlet's
offices, after
which officers
of the
Zimbabwe
Republic
Police (ZRP)
intentionally
shot three
teargas
canisters into
the offices,
one of which
hit
Mutongwiza,
and then
barricaded the
doors,
preventing
staff from
escaping. Misa
Zimbabwe has
condemned the
police
actions?
May
2-1: On
Indonesia,
what is the
SG's comment
and action if
any on the
human rights
lawyers taking
the Indonesian
police to
court on
behalf of West
Papuans, in an
unprecedented
civil case
over what she
claims is the
illegal
takeover of an
activist
group’s
headquarters?
May
1-1: Please
immediately
state to WHOM
in the Chinese
government
Antonio
Guterres
claims to have
raised that
government's
abuse of the
Uighurs, given
that the claim
Guterres
raised the
issue to Xi
has had to be
retracted -
although this
false
information
remains online
in many places
including TIME
and the South
China Morning
Post, and
state what if
anything the
UN is doing to
having this
false
information
about Guterres
and Xi
corrected /
clarified.
April
30-2: On
Cameroon,
along with the
many
unanswered
Inner City
Press
questions,
please state
whether as
before DSG
Amina J
Mohammed and
chef de
cabinet Viotti
will be
attending the
La Republique
du Cameroun
National Day,
if so what
they will say
given Biya's
ongoing
killings.
April
4-2: On UN
bribery and
censorship,
what now is
the SG's
comment and
response to
the April 3
article in
Serbia about
CEFC which Mr
Guterres has
refused to
audit - and
about his
refusal to
answer, and
censorship of
Press "Guteres
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?
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