As UN Bans
Inner City Press 701st Day It E-Asks Spox
Dujarric of Cameroon Wazizi UN Rape Kenya
Honduras Cambodia Covid UN Rape S
Sudan Fleming 3000+ UNanswered
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- CJR -
PFT
UN GATE / SDNY
COURT, June 3 – Inner
City Press on 5 July 2018 was
banned from entering the UN,
two day after it was
physically removed from
conducting interviews outside
meeting about the UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres' $6.7
billion budget.
Then
Guterres' Department of Global
Communication, run by Melissa
Fleming, issued a letter
banning Inner City Press from
the UN - for life. With no due
process, no right of
appeal. Guterres has put
the UN in the US Press Freedom
Tracker, here. Guterres'
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric
falsely promised on camera
that he would be answering
banned Inner City Press'
questions - but see below.
On June 3 before an amateur UN
noon briefing by Stephane "French
Whine" Dujarric,
previously the face of UN lies
on cholera in Haiti, now amid
his and Guterres' cover up
COVID-19's spread by the UN to
and in Mali
and in South Sudan with a
national staff bus without
social distancing -- Inner
City Press asked Guterres, here
and now of an official flying
out while under quarantine and
internationals "working out"
in Tomping, Inner City Press
submitted yet more questions (blocked by
Dujarric's screener Florencia
Soto Nino on +1
917 226 7816
and Dujarric
himself on +1
917 622 7652;
he directed
some favored
scribes to Eri
Kaneko on +1
917 208 8910)
including asking for an
immediate response about the
UN South Sudan transcript
leaked to it and the basis on
which it continues to be
lawlessly banned from entering
to ask questions in person.
Now also on the basis for
withholding publicly funded UN
video from the Press. There
was no answer from Farhan Haq
on +1 917 592 4591, not even a
confirmation of receipt, and
now UN official like Hua
Jiang, Eri Kaneko, now on
screen Jennifer Confilio, Adam
Smook, Marisela Rivera and
others to be named taking
public money for a UN briefing
blocking email questions about
the UN's spread of Covid 19 - May 21
Inner City
Press
video with
commentary
here and here, edit
here ,
June 3 video here
and here
--
Inner
City Press asked:
June 3-1: On the
Coronavirus Covid-19 and the
UN in South Sudan, immediately
provide Inner City Press which
has asked for a month SG
Guterres' response now to the
petition to him from South
Sudanese about UNMISS
spreading COVID-19, precisely
as Inner City Press has asked
you all repeatedly in writing,
and audibly asked Guterres on
Sutton Place, twice now and
why he/you are not complicit.
Please confirm that UNMISS was
told to not permit Inner City
Press to ask it / SRSG Shearer
or his Francesca Mold any
questions. What comment, now
that South Sudan's
Vice-President Riek Machar has
tested positive for
coronavirus - and SG Guterres
declined for the third time to
answer Inner City Press' South
Sudan (and SEA) questions what
you have refused to
answer?
On Cameroon
immediately provide the
comments and actions (and
apology) if any of SG Antonio
"Golden Statue" Guterres to
that Buea-based journalist
Samuel Wazizi a/k/a Samuel
Ajiekah Abuwe is reported
dead. According to Equinoxe
Television, he died within a
few days in detention from
wounds and injuries sustained
after his arrest - that is, he
was killed by Biya's
forces.
What are the
comments and actions of SG
Guterres if any on that four
more Cambodian Blue Helmet
peacekeepers in Mali have been
diagnosed with the novel
coronavirus, bringing the
number of infected Cambodian
UN peacekeepers to 10.
One has died, two have
recovered and seven are being
treated. “The seven are
still healthy but they are in
quarantine" - and why were
quarantine and social
distancing not respected by
UNMISS? Who is being held
accountable?
What are the
comments or actions of SG
Guterres on that Gambia's
government wants the US to
conduct a "transparent" and
"credible" investigation into
the death of its citizen in
the city of Atlanta. A
statement from the foreign
ministry said the victim,
39-year-old Momodou Lamin
Sisay, died on 29 May.
On SEA as I asked
each of you on the afternoon
of June 2 with no answer
whatsoever, this is a request
that you immediately provide
the "if asked" information
about the new April 2020 child
rape charge against a UN
civilian "peacekeper" in South
Sudan - the seventh in a
month, no answers, UNSG
complicit - data dumped
at 3 pm on June 1, after the
Gabonese on May 18, after that
of May 14 regarding Cameroon
regarding child rape by
Cameroon UN Peacekeeper in
2019, and May 12 disclosed
sexual exploitation in South
Sudan by an UNMISS civilian -
please state the nationality
and all info
On Cameroon, what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres and
separately USG Fleming on that
a Cameroonian journalist is
receiving treatment after
being beaten by soldiers in
country's Anglophone area
where separatists are fighting
for independence.
Jean-Marie Ngong Song "is in
serious pain with hearing
difficulties" after the
incident on Sunday evening in
the north-western town of
Bambili, the Cameroon
Journalists' Trade Union said.
His identification documents
were seized. “I was
beaten, my identity card
collected. They asked me to go
and enter their car, I asked
them to tell me what crime I
committed. They didn’t."
Also on South
Sudan, what are the comments
and actions of SG Guterres if
any on that Minister for East
Africa Affairs John Luk Jok
has died in the capital, Juba,
after falling sick on Monday
night. Authorities say
he died on Tuesday morning at
his home in the city.
The minister was an
influential figure in South
Sudan’s politics and was among
the drafters of the country’s
transitional
constitution. He held
several cabinet positions
including stints at the
ministries of justice,
petroleum and mines, and
transport.
On Kenya,
what are the comments and
actions if any of SG Guterres
and separately his Resident
Coordinator in Kenya to that
Kenyan activists and residents
of an informal settlement in
the capital, Nairobi, held an
overnight demonstration on
Monday, accusing police of
killing a homeless man while
enforcing a night-time
curfew. Activists shared
videos of the man's body found
in Mathare area with a gunshot
wound and called for an end to
police brutality.
On
Ethiopia, what are the
comments and actions if any of
SG Guterres and separately USG
Fleming on that the Ethiopian
government has been using
Covid-19 restrictions and a
recently declared state of
emergency as a pretext to
restrict free
speech.
What are the
comments and actions if any of
SG Guterres and separately USG
Fleming on the summoning by
the Kolkata police of
journalist Anirban
Chattopadhyay, editor of
widely circulated Bengali
daily Anandabazar Patrika, and
Chattopadhyay’s subsequent
resignation has triggered a
controversy. Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar and CPI(M)
West Bengal unit secretary
Surjya Kanta Misra have
expressed the view that the
summoning of the 62-year-old
editor by police was an
attempt to muzzle the press.
On Honduras,
immediately explain the basis
of SG Guterres' May 21
statement about 85,000
COVID-19 tests to Honduras -
there, people tell Inner City
Press free tests have not
arrived but the government is
selling them for $250.
On Cambodia
what are the comments and
actions if any of SG Guterres
on that On April 7, 2020,
approximately 150 Cambodian
migrant workers and students
who had been working and
studying in Malaysia were
scheduled to take a flight
from Kuala Lumpur
International Airport to
Cambodia. Upon their arrival
at the boarding gate, the
airline informed them that the
Cambodian government had
denied their entry to Cambodia
and they were not allowed to
board the flight for which
they had purchased
tickets.
Prime Minister Hun Sen
confirmed that he had refused
their return based on reasons
of safety for the country’s
population due to the spread
of the COVID-19 virus.
On Haiti,
what are the comments and
actions if any of SG Guterres
on that Haiti has confirmed
1,174 cases of COVID-19, the
deadly disease caused by the
virus, and 33 deaths so far.
Of the confirmed infections,
11 are inmates at the hellish
National Penitentiary in
Port-au-Prince, the director
of the prison system
confirmed. With the areas of
some cells sometimes no more
than about six feet by six
feet on average and an inmate
population of 10,666, Haiti’s
prison system is one of the
world’s most crowded, with an
occupancy rate of 330
percent.
On Malawi, what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres on that
he convoy of Malawi's
Vice-President Saulos Chilima
has been stoned in Phalombe,
which is in the south of the
country. It is the home
area of President Peter
Mutharika, who has fallen out
with his deputy. Mr
Chilima is currently on the
campaign trail as the running
mate of Lazarus Chakwera, the
leader of the main opposition
UTM party, in elections
expected to be held within the
next month.
On Ecuador what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres on that
police in Guayaquil, Ecuador –
the heart of the country’s
coronavirus epidemic – used
apparent excessive force to
break up a peaceful protest
held on May 14 by civil
society groups, beating and
injuring
demonstrators. The
40 protesters were expressing
concern at what they see as
the government’s lack of
guidance for handling the
bodies of people suspected of
dying from Covid-19...
On Tunisia, what
are the comment and actions if
any of SG Guterres on those
calling on the Tunisian
authorities to halt the
prosecution of blogger Emna
Chergui, whose trial is set to
begin on Thursday. The
27-year-old blogger is being
prosecuted for sharing a
satirical post about
coronavirus on her social
media account that looks like
a verse from Islam’s holy
book, the Koran. If
convicted, Ms Chergui could
face a prison sentence of up
to three years.
Imitating a Koranic text is
considered a violation of
something that is deemed to be
sacred. The image, which
was reportedly designed and
originally shared by an
Algerian atheist who lives in
France, contains text that
says the virus came from
China
On Burundi, what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres on that
the council of Burundi's
Catholic bishops says its
observers noticed
irregularities in last week's
general election that put the
reliability of the results
into question. In an
audio announcement, the
council said its more than
2,700 observers deployed to
polling stations around the
country witnessed incidents
of: multiple voting
voting for dead people and
refugees voters being forced
to choose certain candidates
unauthorised people involved
in vote counting On Monday,
the electoral commission
announced that Evariste
Ndayishimiye of the governing
CNDD-FDD party won the
presidential election.
It said he took 68% of the
vote, according to preliminary
results. Opposition
candidate Agathon Rwasa came
second with 24%. "We
deplore many irregularities
against freedom, electoral
transparency and equity in
treatment of candidates and
voters,” the bishops' council
said through its leader
Joachim Ntahondereye.
“Vis-à-vis these
irregularities and many more,
we ask ourselves how reliable
are the results to be
proclaimed?”
On Zimbabwe what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres on that
Three Zimbabwean opposition
members, who say they were
victims of state torture, have
been charged. The three,
member of parliament Joana
Mamombe and two youth leaders,
are accused of promoting
public violence on 13 May and
flouting coronavirus lockdown
regulations after they
organized a protest over the
number of people going hungry
during the lockdown. The
charges have been laid while
the three remain in hospital
receiving treatment for their
injuries. The opposition
members say they were abducted
after the protest and sexually
assaulted by state agents. The
government denies any
responsibility and says the
abductions were faked.
Two journalists arrested last
week for trying to interview
the three...
On Tanzania, what
are the comments and actions
if any of SG Guterres on that
a senior politician has
sparked disbelief among
Tanzanians by saying that
coronavirus has "ended" and
calling on the public to
celebrate in the streets on
Sunday. Paul Makonda,
who is regional commissioner
of the country's biggest city
Dar es Salaam, even told
residents which shops had
80%-off sales so they could
buy new clothes to look their
best as they party.
Please immediately provide
response to Cameroon political
prisoners' petition emailed to
Antonio Guterres and cc-ed to
Inner City Press.
Now that the
Ambassador of Barbados has
tested positive for
Coronavirus, what protocols
does the UN have for admission
of diplomats and staff? And
the flying in of diplomats and
others? Now that Three
Cambodian peacekeepers who
have been fulfilling their
mission in Mali have been
diagnosed with COVID-19,
bringing the tally to six in
the country - what safeguards
are in place?
In South Sudan,
when did the UN tell the
government about flying in
infected international, and
allowing one to fly out?
In CAR, explain and provide
names: MINUSCA
spokesperson Vladimir Monteiro
said on Wednesday that “nine
armed elements” had been
arrested “in the Ndele region”
the previous day. He
said MINUSCA acted in response
to a request by the Special
Criminal Court, a tribunal set
up in October 2018 to rule on
major crimes in the CAR. He
did not disclose the
identities of those arrested.
How can the UN arrest people
and not give names?
On Tanzania, what
are the comments and actions
of SG Guterres and separately
USG Fleming on that Popular
Tanzanian comedian and former
Big Brother Africa winner
Idris Sultan is being held by
police for allegedly bullying
President John Magufuli.
According to his lawyer
Bennedict Ishabakaki, Mr
Sultan was detained on Tuesday
and has been denied
bail. The police
officially questioned the
comedian and reality TV star
on Thursday for allegedly
violating the country's
controversial Cybercrimes Act,
Mr Ishabakaki said.
Recently a video clip showing
him laughing at an old
photograph of President
Magufuli, wearing a suit that
appears to be a few sizes too
large, went viral on social
media in Tanzania. On
Burundi, what are the comments
and actions if any of SG
Guterres on that Burundi has
blocked social media platforms
on election day as voters
choose a leader to replace
long-serving president Pierre
Nkurunziza. It has been
confirmed that Facebook,
WhatsApp and Twitter are not
accessible.
On UN sexual
exploitation and abuse - AGAIN
- this is a reiterated request
that you immediately provide
the "if asked" information
about the new 2020 sex abuse
charge against a Gabonese UN
"peacekeper" in CAR - the
sixth in two and a half week
weeks, no answers, UNSG
complicit - data dumped
at 2:30 pm on May 18, after
that of May 14 regarding
Cameroon regarding child rape
by Cameroon UN Peacekeeper in
2019
On the DRC, what
are the comments and actions
of SG Guterres on that
Congolese police are using
excessive force against
members of an outlawed sect
who want to revive the
pre-colonial kingdom of Kongo?
55 members of Bundu dia Kongo
(BDK) were killed last month
in clashes with police - more
than double the 22 deaths
reported by the interior
ministry.
The Interior Ministry has not
commented to journalists (like
the UN is not answering Press
questions)
What are the
comments and actions if any of
SG Guterres on that a
Tanzanian opposition party,
ACT, has accused the president
of "broadcasting a select few
statistics" to falsely claim
that there's been a big drop
in the number of coronavirus
patients in hospitals.
President John Magufuli told
an applauding church
congregation on Sunday that
there had been a "sharp
decline", adding, "God has
answered your prayers."
That was despite a report days
before by the US embassy in
Tanzania saying many hospitals
had been "overwhelmed".
On Monday, the ACT said in a
statement it "will not simply
assume that the president is
right in saying we are winning
the battle against
coronavirus, just because he
says so". It wants the
government to release "the
full set of data" on infection
and death rates, and adds that
the last such report was made
more than a fortnight
ago. "Transparency is
essential. President Magufuli
must commit to this core
principle of governance. He
owes it to the people of
Tanzania," the statement
adds.
On the UNFPA /
Kanem waste issue Inner City
Press has asked you about
without answer, now answer
this: During the Nairobi
summit a $2.5 million contract
was awarded to Media Edge. It
flouted process of managing
the contract and making
payments without commensurate
results as UNFPA
Representatives around the
world have to use their
personal credit cards to pay
hotels and transportation for
their ministerial
delegations. With
Media Edge, the Contract
included logistical
organization, hotels booking
and payments; registration of
guests, airport pick up;
protocols and seating
arrangements, which was poorly
managed. Purchase orders was
signed by whom? - Why payments
were made despite poor
accountability.
On Cameroon, what
are the SG's comments and
action if any on the
accusations of Mr
Atangana Manda against
Alain Foka, one sees no
professional critique, but a
document full of hate and
jealousy. His phrase of
'sociological link with an
opposition leader' must be
condemned. Those are
phrases fashioned by agents of
division and tribalism that
can fuel the Rwanda type
genocide in Cameroon". On
lockdown Marie O Polyclinic
Bali? Provide the UN's
read-out of when Lonseny Fall
met Biya, why Biya wore no
mask, what precautions Fall
took before traveling, where
else he traveled and again,
UN's accessment of Biya's
performance during the
pandemic, including continued
killing in the NW and SW.
Provide the UN response to
Cameroon's glowing read-out here
On China and
COVID-19 what are the comments
and actions of SG Guterres and
USG Fleming on that human
rights lawyer Zhang Xuezhong
was "taken away" on Sunday
after writing an open letter
criticising the Chinese
government's COVID-19
response? In his letter,
Zhang said that the country's
handling of the coronavirus
pandemic was emblematic of
deep-rooted issues within the
country's leadership.
With the UNHQ medical chief
leaving on May 15, who will
take her place on May
16?
To
emphasize: on May 14 you data
dumped another child rape case
by UN peacekeeper from
Cameroon in CAR, after May 12
case of sex exploitation case
by a civilian UN staffer in
South Sudan. Inner City Press
immediately wrote to each of
you for the if-asked
information, always provided
pre-Guterres. Provide this
information or explain why
Guterres is covering up UN
sexual abuse.
What are the
comments and actions if any of
SG Guterres on that Africans
in China say they are
repeatedly quarantined despite
testing negative to the
coronavirus?
What are
the comments and actions of SG
Guterres that the lone
candidate for PGA, with whom
he's had smiling photo ops,
Volkan Bozkir is best known
for saying, after "drag queen"
Conchita Wurst's Eurovision
win, "Thank God we no longer
participate in Eurovision."
What are
the comments and actions if
any of SG Guterres and USG
Fleming on that on May 10 Hong
Kong police detained two
reporters with Student Depth
Media? Police also pepper
sprayed an Apple Daily
photographer who was covering
the protests, and choked her
while restraining her,
according to a report by her
employer, which identified the
journalist only as “Jessica.”
She was treated at the Kwong
Wah Hospital for pain in her
head and neck and for burning
in her eyes, according to that
report, which noted that
Jessica was wearing a press
vest and had her press pass
visible at the time of the
incident.
On Uganda,
what are the comments and
actions if any of SG Guterres
on that Uganda’s President
Yoweri Museveni has said it
would be "madness" to hold
general elections while still
dealing with the coronavirus
pandemic. He told the
Ugandan broadcaster NBS that
if the pandemic was not
brought under control by July,
then plans to hold the
elections in early 2021 would
have to be reviewed
On Sudan, what
are the comment and actions if
any of SG Guterres on that
Sudan has sent 300 military
vehicles to South Darfur state
following ethnic clashes which
have killed dozens of
people? The deputy
commander of the paramilitary
Rapid Support Forces, Major
General Abdel-Rahim Hamdan
Dagalo, is leading the force.
Immediately comment and state
what SG Guterres is doing
about charges made to Inner
City Press about his head of
UNFPA Natalia Kanem, as having
wildly overspent at last
year's Nairobi conference,
having the public pay for the
travel of two close relatives
and that she spent $200,000 on
a cocktail party, with a
restricted guest list; there
is a strong suspicion of
nepotism as the son and
members of the family of the
Executive Director and many
personal friends participated
(at the Summit) at the cost of
UNFPA.
On Malawi, what are the
comments and actions is any of
SG Guterres on that Malawi’s
Supreme Court has upheld the
invalidation of last year's
presidential election results
and ruled that Peter Mutharika
was not duly elected. In
February, the Constitutional
Court nullified the results
after the opposition parties
challenged them. Mr
Mutharika had been announced
the winner of last May's
election with 38.5% of the
vote. Opposition party leader
Lazarus Chakwera came second
with 35.41%. But the
Constitutional Court judges
ruled that the vote was marred
by irregularities, and ordered
a new election.
In Cameroon what
are the actions of SG Guterres
on report that Stanly Simo,
whose community health clinic
was in its final stages, was
brutally targeted and killed
by Paul Biya's forces?
What are the
comments and action if any of
SG Guterres and separately DSG
Amina J. Mohammad on that in
Nigeria a man was sentenced to
death during a court ruling in
Lagos state that was held
using Zoom. In a bid to
stop the spread of
coronavirus, all but urgent
court sittings in the country
have been suspended.
Presiding over the internet
court hearing, Judge Mojisola
Dada sentenced Olalekan Hameed
to death by hanging?
What are the comments and
actions if any of SG Gurerres
and separately USG Fleming on
that Charmarke Saïd Darar, a
correspondent for the only
Djiboutian-run media outlet
providing his country with
freely and independently
reported news coverage, was
arrested on 3 May, World Press
Freedom Day? The government
headed by President Ismaïl
Omar Guelleh continued to
persecute independent
reporting in Djibouti.
What has SG
Guterres done about that in
early April 2020, Chinese
authorities in the southern
city of Guangzhou, Guangdong
province, which has China’s
largest African community,
began a campaign to forcibly
test Africans for the
coronavirus, and ordered them
to self-isolate or to
quarantine in designated
hotels. Landlords then evicted
African residents, forcing
many to sleep on the street,
and hotels, shops, and
restaurants refused African
customers. Other foreign
groups have generally not been
subjected to similar
treatment.
On the
Secretariat's proposal for
voting including for UNSC
seat, published by Inner City
Press on May 1, please explain
the proposal for physical
voting at different times, and
separately how eBallot voting
was be verified and validated.
This is a question to the
Secretariat; it is being cc-ed
to the PGA's spokesperson for
answer as well.
On Kenya, on
which you singled out Ban
Ki-moon's son in law for
praise, what has the UN or he
done about the government's
use of World Bank Covid-19
funds for tea and snacks (see
InnerCityPress.com) and that
thousands of people have been
made homeless in Kenya's
capital, Nairobi, after a
government excavator flattened
their tin-sheet houses in the
Kariobangi area. The
demolition was supervised by
armed police officers from
Monday dawn. Residents
told journalists that they had
not been notified to
leave. The Daily Nation
newspaper has shared a video
on Twitter of the demolitions;
and that on March 27, Kenya’s
first day of curfew, police in
Mombasa allegedly assaulted
Peter Wainana, a journalist
with one of Kenya’s leading
television stations, NTV, long
before curfew time. Wainaina
was reporting on how police
used excessive force against
people queuing to board a
ferry back home from work
ahead of the curfew. On
March 29, police reportedly
attacked George Muriithi, a
cameraperson for a local
television station, Weru,
while he filmed police
officers and government
administrators using violence
to enforce social distancing
rules on traders in Mintuguu
market, Meru County. On
the same day, police arrested
three journalists – John
Wanyama and Charles Kerecha of
Citizen TV, and Mukoya Aywah,
an independent journalist –
reportedly for violating the
curfew in Uasin Gishu and
Kiambu counties, despite a
government exemption for media
from curfew restrictions. The
journalists had been asking
the public and the police
about the curfew
implementation.
In
Cameroon, WHO on April 28 gave
the government 14 vehicles
citing COVID-19. How do the UN
- and SG Guterres - assess the
Biya government's response to
Coronavirus in Cameroon and
its prisons?
In Honduras,
President JOH talked up
hydroxychloroquin - what does
SG Guterres say about that,
and about JOH named today in
narco-trafficking complaint in
SDNY against former Honduran
National Police Chief Tigre
Bonilla?
More
here.
***
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