UNITED NATIONS
GATE, August
6
– 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 August
6
more
than two
hours before the
UN noon
briefing by spokesman
Stephane Dujarric,
during
which he
repeated the claim
that Guterres
whose
location he
refuses to disclose
is
deeply
concerned,
about Egypt
whose state
media Sanaa
Youssef of
Akhbar al Yoom who for
not asking a
question in a
decade was
awarded the
Press' work space, after
the July 26
noon briefing
had no
questions at all,
video here,
Inner
City Press submitted 1101
questions,
including why
it continues
to be
lawlessly banned
from entering
to ask
questions in
person:
"There
are more than
700+
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 20
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
1-13, 15-17,
21-31,
June
3-28,
and July 1-2,
8-31 and August
1-5,
many
questions.
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.
August
6-1: On Uganda
and human
rights, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that
Ugandan MP and
musician Bobi
Wine has been
charged with
the absurd
crime of
"intending to
annoy, alarm
or ridicule
the
president"?
The new charge
is an addition
to a previous
charge of
treason.
In an alleged
incident that
led to his
arrest, the MP
and his
colleagues are
accused of
hurling stones
at the
presidential
convoy during
an election
rally in the
northern town
of Arua
August
6-2: On human
rights,
impunity and
The Gambia,
what is the
SG's comment
and action if
any on the
release of
three of
Jammeh's
self-confessed
assassins?
Malick Jatta,
Omar Jallow
and Amadou
Badjie were
members of a
paramilitary
unit known as
the
"Junglers".
They were
released from
army custody
two weeks
after
appearing
before the
country's
truth
commission.
"Our team was
a hit squad
for Yahya
Jammeh," Mr
Badjie told
the
commission.
"We had blind
loyalty for
Yahya Jammeh,"
he added
The three
assassins had
been arrested
by military
police in
2017, when
President
Adama Barrow
took office
after winning
elections in
December 2016
to end Mr
Jammeh's
22-year
rule.
August
6-3: On the
death of a UN
peacekeepers,
what is the
SG's comment,
action and
explanation on
the death in
Mali of
Bangaldesh
Constable Md
Omar Faruk who
died in Bamako
around 2:30am
(Bangladesh
time)? Why
wasn't he
repatriated if
sick?
August
6-4: Given
that the SG's
public
schedules for
August 2,
August 5 and
now August 6
are entirely
blank, "all
appointments
internal," and
given that
Poland's
Foreign
Minister was
not able to
meet with the
SG on August
3, please
immediately
state where
the UNSG is,
now and for
the next three
weeks, and at
what cost to
the public.
Additionally,
since public
officials from
Trump to de
Blasio to
Corey Johnson
all disclose
where they
are, and given
the UN system
travel
scandals at
UNRWA, UN
Women and
previously
UNEP, explain
why Mr.
Guterres' lack
of
transparency
is not part of
the problem.
Finally on
this, for now,
given the
Secretariat's
communication
failures,
state when
exactly Ms.
Fleming takes
over from
Alison Smale,
whether Ms.
Fleming is
still has
stated on her
profile at
UNHCR and if
she is answer
some/any of
her e-mail
there.
August
6-5: On
Nigeria, what
is the comment
of the missing
SG and
separately of
DSG Amina J.
Mohammed on
that scores
were injured
while many
Nigerians
including
journalists
were arrested
and abused by
the police
during
protests
against what
they call the
incompetence
and corruption
of President
Muhammadu
Buhari's
administration
on August
5?
August
6-6: On
Cameroon,
after the SG
took Biya's
golden statue
and UN Budget
Committee
favors, what
are the
comments and
actions if any
from him and
separately DSG
Amina J.
Mohammed on
the protests
on July 22 by
those
Ambazonians
illegally
detained in
Kondengui
Central
Prison? And
the protests
since then,
amid the SG's
typical
silence, in
the prisons in
Buea?
August
6-7: On press
freedom and
Egypt, what is
the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that on
July alone, 13
journalists
have been
arrested and
detained;
there have
been five
violations of
distribution
rights
recorded and
four unfair
trials have
taken
place?
There have
been three
cases of
arbitrary
administrative
decisions,
says the
watchdog, one
case of
assault and
death threats
and nine
violations
against female
journalists.
Journalists
Hisham Fouad
and Hossam
Mounas were
arrested as
part of the
Hope Alliance
case, an
electoral
coalition of
civil forces
which planned
to run in the
next elections
and who have
been accused
of being
members of a
terrorist
group.
El-Tahrir
website
announced it
would be
insolvent in
two months
after
exhausting all
attempts to
unblock its
website since
last May. No
official
reason was
given for the
block... Now
that the US
Court of
Appeals for
the Second
Circuit has
ruled against
public
officials
blocking
critics on
Twitter even
if the
official
claims their
account is
private, what
is the
justification
for UNSG
Spokesperson
Stephane
Dujarric, with
the UN flag in
his profile
photo and
Guterres
promoting
content,
blocking Inner
City Press?
What is SG
Guterres'
response /
reaction to UN
DSS and
Guterres'
actions on
Inner City
Press being listed
in the U.S.
Press Freedom
Tracker.
In the UN,
what has the
accountability
been for Lt
Ronald E.
Dobbins and
those those
refused on
camera to give
their names?
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.
June
14-5: Since
the SG claimed
publicly that
the mansion he
lives in
"cannot" be
sold, please
immediately
provide any
and all
documents with
such a
restriction,
and separately
explain why
the concept of
cy pres or
reformation of
donor intent
has not been
explored.
Separately,
Boutros
Boutros Galli
wrote in his
book that the
building was
given by
Arthur
Houghton
through the
United Nations
Association of
the USA. What
actual
inquires, with
UNA-USA or any
successor to
Houghton or
Corning Glass,
has Guterres
made?
June
11-1: On
Cameroon, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on this report
from Chinese
state media:
"YAOUNDE, June
10 (Xinhua) --
Cameroon's
House Speaker
of National
Assembly
Cavaye Yeguie
Djibril on
Monday
denounced
foreign
interference
in the
country's
internal
affairs which
he referred to
as
"conspiracy."
"Cameroon has
become an
object of
conspiracy
intended to
destabilize
the country.
To justify
their
interference
in internal
affairs, the
conspirators
pretend to
denounce it."
Again, how
many offices /
desk does the
Secretariat
give to
Chinese state
media inside
the UN?
May
15-3: On the
Public
Financial
Disclosures
for 2017
belatedly
published over
the weekend of
April 27-28,
please state
why Mohammed
Ibn Chambas,
like the
Executive
Secretary of
the UN
Biodiversity
Convention,
Cristiana
Paşca-Palmer,
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.
,
