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

UNITED NATIONS GATE, Nov 26 – 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. The head of the UN Department of Global Communications 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 26 more than two hours before the noon briefing by Spokesman Stephane "French Whine" Dujarric the day after he lied on camera that Nov 25 was the first time he was asked if Mike Bloomberg quit the UN to run in the US - Inner City Press asked and wrote about it on Nov 11 - 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, 13-22 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 26-1: On UN corruption, what is the SG's comment and action on Kate Gilmore having falsely claimed post-graduate degrees, a claim still online in his press release about her? This is an exclusive from Guterres-banned Inner City Press:  Inner City Press has long reported on Kate Gilmore at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights... among Ms. Gilmore's and the UN's frauds was her claim to have earned post-graduate degrees to justify her position and salary. A version of her resume on OHCHR's website which Inner City Press saved said "Ms. Gilmore holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of New England and post graduate degrees in Social Work from the University of Melbourne and Community Development from RMIT."  After inquiries, a new version was put online by Bachelet's OHCHR without explanation or comment or repurcussions much less disgorgement of improperly taken public funds, now saying "Ms. Gilmore holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of New England and a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of Melbourne and has pursued post-graduate studies in social work and community development in Australia."  There is no post-graduate degree from University of Melbourne, and initially claimed RMIT is not mentioned anymore.     But at Antonio Guterres' UN, nothing has changed.     Today on 26 November 2019, the 511th day that Guterres has kept Inner City Press banned from entering the UN for asking such questions, a form of censorship on which Bachelet has done nothing, his still online biography says of Ms. Gilmore that "She is the holder of a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New England and a post-graduate degree in social work from the University of Melbourne."    That was and is a lie: there is no post-graduate degree of any kind from Univerisity of Melbourne. Now what? 

November 26-2: Please explain and retract your / Dujarric's statement at the November 25 noon briefing that he disclosed Michael Bloomberg's November 11 letter then becuase he was only asked then - when Inner City Press in writing asked each of you on November 11 (and Dujarric and DGC have both publicly said Inner City Press' questions are being answered. 

November 26-3: On DRC, what is the basis for the UN saying it didn't shoot anyone in Beni? What investigation has the UN done? If it were found that a UN peackeeper's bullet "fired in the air" hit someone, would immunity be waived? What would happen?  

November 26-4: On fraud and now Dubai, now that the OneCoin trial in SDNY has ended with a guilty verdict, and the role of Dubai and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum along with Amer Abdulaziz of Phoenix thoroughbred (with other UN connections) are being exclusively reported by Inner City Press 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...

November 26-5: As Inner City Press asked each of you in writing on November 21 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

November 26-6: On freedom of expression and Morocco, what are the belated comments and actions of any of SG Guterres and separately of USG Melissa Fleming on that a Moroccan rapper has been sentenced to a year in prison for insulting the police on social media.  Mohamed Mounir, who performs under the name Gnawi, admitted cursing the police in a live feed on Instagram hours after he had been stopped while driving in the capital, Rabat.  Gnawi is one of a new generation of rappers in Morocco and his fame escalated after he posted a song called Long Live the People on YouTube last month. 

November 26-7: On press freedom and Iraq, what are the belated comments and actions if any of SG Guterres and separately of USG Melissa Fleming on that the Communications and Media Commission, Iraq’s media regulator, ordered the closure of eight television broadcasters and four radio stations for three months for allegedly violating media licensing rules, and issued a warning against five more broadcasters over their coverage of protests.

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? 

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. 

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