In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, Nov 22 – 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 November 22 more than two hours before the noon briefing by Spokesman Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric in which he said he didn't know Guterres gave UN Crime and Drugs (Organization UNODC) to Egypt after the July 26 noon briefing had no questions at all, video here, Inner City Press submitted 1365 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, 9-30 and now October 1-3, 7-14, 16-31 and Nov 1-11, 13-21 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.

November 22-1: On Guinea Bissau (and narco states like Honduras on which each of you has refused to respond in any way even as the Deputy Spokesman bragged of receiving $50,000 from the country, quite possibly from the El Chapo funds proved in SDNY court), what are the comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and what is the UN's role in this weekend's election: Security analysts say there is a risk of another coup if the incumbent loses and refuses to accept the outcome.  Opposition parties have also raised concerns about the electoral roll, asking for the election to be delayed, which suggests some voters could also reject results.  Electoral observers from Ecowas, the AU and from the United States are due to be deployed on voting day.  A second round is scheduled to be held on 29 December if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. Guinea-Bissau has long been regarded as a narco-state, playing a key role in the illicit drugs trade between South America and Europe which continues to fuel instability in the country.  What is the UN's role if any in election observation? 

November 22-2: As Inner City Press asked each of you in writing yesterday within the hour of UN's data dump of yet more cases of sexual exploitation in CAR by Cameroon UN "peacekeepers," without any response while SG Guterres and DSG Amina J Mohammed met and smiled with a Cameroon minister, now immediately answer: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information about the three more November 21, 3:30 pm cases of sexual exploitation in CAR by Cameroon troops in 2017 and 2016, released an hour before UNSG Guterres meet Cameroon FM right now, Inner City Press' request to enter and covered not even answered, on top of the November 11 case of rape in Liberia, and by a Cameroon "military observer" in Mali, UNanswered with Inner City Press blocked from noon briefing and only 2 questions inside, the cases of sexual exploitation and rape cursorily data dumped on November 11 at 10:30 am including rapes in Liberia, sexual exploitation in Sept 2019 in CAR (all nationalities undisclosed - why?), by Cameroon in Mali and those on November 4 and on October 31 at 1:30 pm as well as previously requested without response about the child rape and sexual exploitation by UN "peacekeepers" from Cameroon and South Africa the UN cursorily disclosed on the afternoon of October 28 - about which Inner City Press did not this time immediately ask, given that each of you have refused for one week and counting to answer in any way with if-asked information about the child rape and sexual exploitation cases involving Indonesia, Mauritania and again Cameroon, in DRC and Central African Republic cursorily data dumped onto the UN website after 3 pm on October 21.

November 22-3: On Security Council member Equatorial Guinea, human rights and corruption what are the belated comments and actions if any on EG's government's continued campaign against CEIDGE, the country’s leading good governance organization, formally dissolving it in July. They also continued to harass its vice president, Alfredo Okenve. 

November 22-4:  Now that the OneCoin trial in SDNY has ended with a guilty verdict, while UN has refused to answer on it and on UN-linked World Sports Alliance IgoBit and even Carlos Garcia's use of the UN for a fraudulent coin, now immediately answer this Inner City Press two week old questions: November 8-5: Again, given the increase about of fraud with which the UN is surrounded / involved in under SG Guterres, now belatedly answer this Inner City Press question now that UN-linked World Sports Alliance Saint Clair has been formally indicted in the SDNY, and belatedly comment on the global implications of the related OneCoin fraud being shown in SDNY trial: "October 24-1: On corruption and the UN, please immediate disclose all UN connections of the "World Sports Alliance" with offices at 845 UN Plaza and a website replete with UN-like symbols whose Asa St Clair was presented last night in SDNY Magistrates Court and detained on wire fraud charges for a fraudulent crypto-currency. Also please now on UN Day response to the use of the UN for a fraudulent coin sale by Carlos Garcia, shown in SDNY to be money launderer for UN bribes. 

November 22-5: On press freedom and Tanzania, what are the belated comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately of USG Melissa Fleming on that country's abuse of the " Cyber Crimes Act" including of Maxence Melo?

November 19-1: On Honduras on which SG Guterres never answered Inner City Press' questions after conviction of presidential brother Tony Hernandez and the proof JOH took El Chapo funds, beyond the UN thanking Honduras for $50,000, what now is Guterres' comment on the assassination of Josue David Caceres Aguilar, the son of another witness of JOH's corruption Miguel Anulfo Valle? And again, where is the report or what was the read-out of the 4 person panel Guterres sent to Honduras after JOH's dubious electoral win? 

November 12-A: As asked each one of you yesterday before the noon briefing at which only two questions were asked, one involving the escalators, immediately answer about and stop affirmatively covering up UN sexual abuse: On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information -- and allow Inner City Press access to noon briefing to ask -- about the cases of sexual exploitation and rape cursorily data dumped on November 11 at 10:30 am including rapes in Liberia, sexual exploitation in Sept 2019 in CAR (all nationalities undisclosed - why?), by Cameroon in Mali and those on November 4 and on October 31 at 1:30 pm as well as previously requested without response about the child rape and sexual exploitation by UN "peacekeepers" from Cameroon and South Africa the UN cursorily disclosed on the afternoon of October 28 - about which Inner City Press did not this time immediately ask, given that each of you have refused for one week and counting to answer in any way with if-asked information about the child rape and sexual exploitation cases involving Indonesia, Mauritania and again Cameroon, in DRC and Central African Republic cursorily data dumped onto the UN website after 3 pm on October 21.

November 8-3: On Honduras, on which you have refused to answer Inner City Press' questions about Guterres' 4 person panel sent to the country - no read out - and his meeting with presumptively narco-funded president JOH, now comment on this, from Insight Crime: "Security camera footage [warning: graphic material] of the incident shows what appears to be a pre-meditated ambush. Meza is talking to two prison officials as a hooded guard goes to open a red sliding door. Once open, six inmates storm in, with one immediately firing a pistol at Meza’s head. The drug trafficker collapses as the gun-wielding prisoner keeps firing and the other convicts ward off the guards with blades. Honduran prison authorities initially attributed the murder to an inmate brawl, whereas the government laid the blame on other drug traffickers. Meza’s lawyer, Carlos Chajtur, said he believes the video of the killing suggests a “plot by the penitentiary authorities and maybe higher level authorities." 

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 3-19: 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 [and AOC unblocking Dov Hikind], 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. 

More here.

***

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Past (and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for