UNITED NATIONS
GATE, August
7
– 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
7
more
than two
hours before the
UN noon
briefing by spokesman
Stephane Dujarric, from
which he bars
Inner City
Press but had
the presence
of one of
his
partners in
expulsion,
here, 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
August 7
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
7-1: On Turkey
and human
rights, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that the
authorities
acknowledged
on July 28
that they are
holding four
men, Salim
Zeybek, Yasin
Ugan, Özgür
Kaya, and
Erkan Irmak,
but have not
revealed where
they have been
since
February, and
are implying
that the men
were not in
the custody of
the state nor
their proxies
before July
28. The men
were detained
on various
dates in
February and
are presumed
to have been
held in
unacknowledged
detention ever
since. The
whereabouts of
two other men,
Mustafa Yılmaz
and Gökhan
Türkmen, who
were also
reported
missing in
February,
remains
unknown.
August
7-2: On
Burundi,
malaria and
politicization
/ abuse, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on a
that
senior
government
official said
that the
government did
not want to
admit weakness
with elections
set for 2020.
Civil society
organizations
say the
government and
its affiliated
agencies and
forces,
including the
police, the
National
Intelligence
Service
(Service
national de
renseignement,
or SNR), and
the ruling
CNDD-FDD
party's youth
league, the
Imbonerakure,
have been
responsible
for gross,
widespread,
and systematic
human rights
violations
over the past
four years, as
well clamping
down on
freedom of
expression.
August
7-3: On public
corruption and
Nigeria, what
are the
comments and
actions if any
of the SG and
separately of
DSG Amina J.
Mohammed to
that Nigerian
court has
ordered that
three bank
accounts
belonging to
Lagos state,
the country's
main
commercial
hub, be
frozen?
Justice Chuka
Obiozor gave
the order
following an
application by
Nigeria's
anti-corruption
body, the
Economic and
Financial
Crimes
Commission
(EFCC), which
is
investigating
alleged fraud
totalling
$27m. A fourth
bank account,
which was
opened by top
civil servant
Adewale
Adesanya on 17
September last
year, has also
been
frozen.
The agency
alleges that
$27m was
transferred
into Mr
Adesanya's
personal
account from
the Lagos
state accounts
before
elections for
governor were
held in March
this
year. Mr
Adesanya
served as a
permanent
secretary in
the
administration
of ex-Governor
Akinwunmi
Ambode, who
was unable to
stand for
re-election as
he lost his
party's
primary.
August
7-4: On the
Gambia, now
that it is
reported
that DSG
Amina Mohammed
and UNFPA
Executive
Director, Dr.
Natalia Kanem,
are expected
to visit The
Gambia from 8
to 10 August
2019,
accompanied by
UNFPA West and
Central Africa
Regional
Director, Mr.
Mabingue Ngom,
reiterating
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
7-6: Given
that the SG's
public
schedules for
August 2,
August 5,
August 6
and now August
7 are entirely
blank, not
even "all
appointments
internal" as
before but
just blank,
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.
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 (Chief
Communications
@Refugees as
of August 7)
and if she is
answering
some/any of
her e-mail
there.
August
7-7: Please
confirm or
deny that the
UN system can
arranged with
DC-based
lobbying firm
(which also
lobbies for
Paul Biya of
Cameroon)
Glover Park to
promote the
SG, and this
message on
August 1 from
Glover Park:
"I wanted to
let you know
that Antonio
Guterres,
Secretary-General
of the United
Nations, will
be
participating
in a live
press stakeout
at 12:30 pm ET
today." Please
disclose what
the
Secretariat
knows / did
about this, if
any bidding
was
competitive,
and if it is
appropriate
for SG
appearances to
be promoted by
the same firm
representing
Paul Biya and
others.
August
7-8: On
Cameroon, what
is the SG's
comment and
action if any
on that
"Raymond
Ndingana is
one of many
journalists
who have been
harassed by
government
troops.
"The last time
I fell into
the hands of
the military,
they almost
destroyed my
working tools
simply because
they asked me
a question in
French and I
responded in
English,"
Ndigana said.
"They got
angry..."
August
7-9: Also on
press freedom,
and Tanzania,
what is the
SG's comment
and action if
any on that a
week after he
was detained,
Tanzanian
investigative
journalist
Erick
Kabendera
appeared in a
Dar es Salaam
court on
Monday and was
charged with
organized
crime, tax
evasion and
money
laundering?
A copy of the
court document
signed by the
principal
state attorney
said that
since January
2015 Kabendera
failed to pay
Tsh173.2
million
(US$75,000) in
taxes and that
he laundered
the same
amount.
Kabendera, who
has worked for
local and
international
media, was
abducted last
Monday from
his home by
six people who
emerged from a
silver van and
wore no
uniforms,
activists
said. A
day later,
police said
they detained
him and were
checking his
citizenship.
On Friday,
authorities
announced they
were charging
him with
sedition under
cybercrime
laws but
changed the
accusation on
Monday into
organized
crime, tax
evasion and
money
laundering.
According to
The Guardian -
an outlet that
published
Kabendera’s
articles - the
procedure
violated
Tanzania’s
constitution
which says
that a person
has to be
charged in
court after
being detained
for 24 hours,
or the police
must get leave
from a
magistrate to
keep him for
longer.
Press freedom
campaigners
said the
charges were
retaliatory
and should be
dropped... 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.
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