UNITED NATIONS
GATE, Sept 23
– Inner City Press
on 5 July
2018 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' Department
of Global Communication
issued a letter
banning Inner City
Press from the UN -
for life. With no
due process.
Guterres has
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 September
23 more
than three
hours
before what
would have
been the
noon
briefing by Spokesman
Stephane "French
Whine"
Dujarric, the
second working
day after
he got asked about his and
Guterres'
censorship,
and
after the July 26
noon briefing
had no
questions at all,
video here,
Inner
City Press submitted 1222
questions,
including why
it continues
to be
lawlessly banned
from entering
to ask
questions in
person:
"There
are more than
800+
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 Sept 6
(while you
still withhold
if-asked
information
about Cameroon
child rape(s)
in DRC),
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,
8-30,
Sept 3-5, 9-20
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.
September
23-1: On
Cameroon, what
are the
comments and
actions if any
of the SG and
DSG Amina J.
Mohammed on
the continued
detention of
opposition
leaders, and
the protest(s)
scheduled for
the front of
the UN? Given
that Guterres
is meeting
with the
Foreign
Minister this
evening,
please confirm
this means
that Biya is
not coming and
summarize any
reasoning
provided for
it.
September
23-2: On UN
(and UN
Security)
corruption,
please provide
the UN's
response and
justification
that Antoine
Abi Samra, a
military
officer under
Aoun, has been
promoted and
protected by
one Igor
Mitrokhin in
DSS. Inner
City Press
first asked
you
about
Mitrokhin in
connection
with South
Sudan, no
answer. Now:
in Jordan, Abi
Samra using
public money
to pay a DSS
employee to do
nothing more
than tutor his
own son.
What are the
responses of
Guterres and
Gilles
Michaud?
September
23-3: On
Somalia, what
are the
comments and
actions if any
of SG Guterres
on that
Somalia's
government has
suspended
flights to and
from Kismayo,
the main city
in the
country's
southern
Jubbaland
state.
The suspension
is to last for
three days and
comes ahead of
the
inauguration
of Ahmed
Mohamed Islam,
known by his
nickname
“Madobe”, who
was re-elected
to lead
Jubbaland in a
disputed
election last
month.
The UN and the
central
government had
wanted the
vote to be
postponed and
have refused
to recognize
the
results.
The statement
from the
government did
not give a
reason for the
suspension of
the flights,
but it is seen
as an effort
to stop
politicians
and other
leaders from
attending the
inauguration
of Madobe in
Kismayo on
Thursday.
On Sunday, the
authorities
stopped
Somalia's
former
President
Sheikh Sharif
Sheikh Ahmed
from
travelling to
Kismayo to
attend the
inauguration.
September
23-4: On China
and press
freedom, what
are the
comments and
actions if any
of Guterres
and Melissa
Fleming,
before they go
to China to
that
journalists
working in
Chinese state
media were
recently
notified of
the impending
test by the
country’s
media
regulator. The
test will be
based on
teachings
found in a
controversial
app ― loosely
translated as
“Study Xi,
Strong Nation”
— introduced
by the
government
earlier this
year. Updated
press cards
will only be
issued to
journalists
who have
passed the
exam.
September
19-1: On
Cameroon, what
are the
belated
comments and
actions if any
of SG Guterres
on that
Cameroon’s law
courts are at
a standstill
as lawyers for
a third day
Wednesday defy
government
threats and
continue to
protest what
they say are
widespread
unbearable
rights
violations
that include
torture,
illegal and
prolonged
detention of
accused
persons.
September
19-4: On
racism and
Canada, what
are the SG's
comments and
actions if any
on the video
that emerged
on Thursday
showing
Canadian Prime
Minister and
Liberal Party
leader Justin
Trudeau
smiling and
gesturing with
dark makeup
covering his
face, arms and
legs.
September
10-3:
What are the
SG's and USG
Fleming's view
of the ethics
of UN
Correspondents
Association
official
taking a paid
trip to China
at this time,
with regard to
Xinjiang, Hong
Kong and
bribery by
China Energy
Fund
Committee,
which tried to
buy the oil
company of
Gulbenkian
Foundation
which has made
payments to
the SG? See here
September
9-6: On UN
sexual
exploitation
and abuse,
again this the
request that
Inner City
Press asked
you and others
in writing on
the morning of
August 19 that
you
"immediately
provide all
if-asked and
additional
information
about the new
allegation of
SEA announced
at 11:01 am
today, of
child rape by
a Cameroonian
"peacekeeper"
in DR Congo
and that you
immediately
provide the
"if asked"
information
about
that you
immediately
provide the
"granular"
information
that was
promised last
week at
another noon
briefing Inner
City Press was
banned from,
to
correspondents
who barely ask
or publish
about this
topic.
September
4-8:
Immediately
explain the
single lawless
line from MALU
on 30 August
2019:
"Greetings
Matthew Lee
from Inner
City Press,
Your media
accreditation
request, with
reference no:
M5413398, has
been declined
for the
following
reason: Media
accreditation
was withdrawn
on 17 August
2018." This is
a formal
request for
the UN's
explanation of
grounds for
this denial.
And a demand
for answer to
these
questions,
which MALU has
declined to
answer:
Who made the
decision?
Where is the
list of those
accredited by
[MALU]?
What and to
whom is the
process of
appeal?
September
3-17: In light
of the death
of Jeffrey
Epstein, now
on August 27
multiply
accused of sex
trafficking
along with
Ghislaine
Maxwell who
was allowed to
promote her
now closed
charity in the
UN Press
Briefing Room,
as Inner City
Press asked
without any UN
response on
July 22,
please
immediately
disclose all
UN
interactions
with his
Ghislaine
Maxwell's
TerraMar
Project and
relatedly,
with Paolo
Zampolli.
September
3-19: On press
freedom and
Cameroon, on
which you
refused to
answer on
August 13
despite saying
the office was
staffed and
answering, now
more specific:
what is the
SG's comment
and action if
any, post
golden statue,
to that Paul
Atanga Nji,
territorial
administration
minister, says
Cameroon's
journalists
are becoming
highly
unpatriotic.
"They have one
main
objective,
just to
sabotage
government
action, to
promote
secessionist
tendencies,"
said Nji. "I
urge them to
be
responsible.
Those who do
not want to
respect the
laws will be
booked as
being
recalcitrant
and will be
treated as
such"... 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, here.
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?
Immediately
explain the
single lawless
line from MALU
on 30 August
2019:
"Greetings
Matthew Lee
from Inner
City Press,
Your media
accreditation
request, with
reference no:
M5413398, has
been declined
for the
following
reason: Media
accreditation
was withdrawn
on 17 August
2018." 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 Fleming
have not even
responded...
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 - and
respond that
Inner City
Press on
August 24
applied like
100s or 1000s
of others to
cover the
upcoming UNGA
high level
week,
including now
formally
offering to
answer any
quesions the
UN / DSS might
have, having
been vetted
and accredited
elsewhere
since, as both
USG DSS
Michaud and
MALU have
formally been
timely
informed --
and how it is
possible that
a media that
closely covers
and uncovers
the UN could
be denied
entry, other
than (SG)
censorship.
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.
,
