The
issue is to be
raised at the
UN Human
Rights Council
this coming
week.
And
this
contraction
has already
been raised,
between the
UN's "Aide
Memoire" to
the U.S.
Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee
saying there
is no written
records of the
underlying
January 29
meeting being
closed, and
Under
Secretary
General
Cristina
Gallach
telling Nobel
Peace Prize
winner Jose
Ramos-Horta
that her
ouster
decisions was
based on
considering an
"internal
report."
So
is it no
written
record, or
internal
report?
Was
inaccurate
information
provided to
the U.S.
Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee? Or
to Nobel Peace
Prize winner /
UN official
Jose Ramos
Horta?
Gallach
told
Ramos-Horta
Inner City
Press had
"open"
violated a
rule and she
considered an
"internal
report" --
when the Aide
Memoire,
here,
shows the UN
says it has no
written record
the meeting
was closed and
the Handbook
allegedly
violated is
not public:
"Dear
mr
Ramos-Horta,
Many thanks
for your
message which
allows me to
inform you
about the
decision I
have taken on
the type of
accreditation
that Mr Lee
has and will have
in the future.
Recently mr
Lee openly
broke the
rules that
guide all the
resident correspondents.
After careful
consideration
of the
internal
report
elevated to
me, I decided
to continue
providing him
with a press
pass that
allows him to
work without
any impediment
at the UN, as
the vast
majority of
journalists.
What the UN
cannot do is
to let him use
an space
exclusively
for him,
after the
mentioned
events.
As you can
see, mr Lee
will have a
valid press
card as soon
as he presents
himself to the
accreditation
premises.
Rest assured
that I am the
first person
to be
interested in
ensuring
totally free
and safe
reporting from
the UN HQ and
about the UN.
This is what
mr. Lee will
be able to do.
I remain at
your disposal
for any
further
clarification
that you might
need and want.
My warmest
regard,
Cristina"
But the
UN says it has
no written
record the
meeting was
closed; the
Handbook
allegedly
violated is
not public.
And "without
impediment"
has turned out
to mean "with
minders," and
even not
permitted to
cover a
Western Sahara
briefing Inner
City Press was
invited to,
only on June
10.
The
UN is trying
to give Inner
City Press'
long time
shared office
to an Egyptian
state media,
Akhbar Elyom,
whose
correspondent
hasn't come
close to
meeting the
three day a
week
requirement
and never asks
any questions.
It rewards
others like
this, while
retaliating
against and
trying to
censor the
critical
Press.
This
will be raised
this week at
the UN Human
Rights
Council; the
UN in
continued
attempt to
censorship has
not responded
to Inner City
Press' formal
requests
submitted more
than two week
ago. Watch
this
site.
On June
8 Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
outright
refused to
provide a copy
of, or any
answer
questions
about, the
"Handbook" the
alleged
violation of
which the UN
told the
Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee was
the basis for
evicting Inner
City Press. Aide
Memoire to
SFRC here.
Before
Inner City Press
was even able
to ask the
question,
Dujarric cut
it off, and
later
disallowed an
unrelated
Press question
about other UN
corruption.
Video
here,
transcript here and
below, with
quotes from
Ban Ki-moon
later on June
8.
Ban
later on June
8 said: "I
will continue
to defend the
rights of
journalists
and to do
everything
possible,
publicly and
privately, to
ensure that
journalists
have the
freedom to
work...I will
also continue
to stand up
for the rights
of journalists
and their
defenders to
be represented
here at the
United
Nations.
"I am
extremely
disturbed by
recent remarks
by the
President-elect
of the
Philippines,
Rodrigo
Duterte. [Inner
City Press had
asked, here.]
I
unequivocally
condemn his
apparent
endorsement of
extrajudicial
killing, which
is illegal and
a breach of
fundamental
rights and
freedoms.
Such comments
are of
particular
concern in
light of
on-going
impunity for
serious cases
of violence
against
journalists in
the
Philippines. I
have expressed
my
disappointment
that the
Non-Governmental
Organization
Committee
voted to deny
the Committee
to Protect
Journalists
consultative
status with
the Economic
and Social
Council...I
have presents
for each of
you [segue to
presentation].
"
e
This is what
it has come
to: censorship
while Ban
exchanges
gifts and
drinks
champagne with
his friends
and sells out
the UN human
rights lists
to the highest
bidder (for
now, Saudi
Arabia.) From
the
June 8
transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
I've asked you
about this
aide-mémoire
that was sent
by the UN to
the Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee.
So I want to
ask you about
it
again.
What I want to
ask you about…
Spokesman:
My answer's
not going to
change.
Inner City
Press:
No, here's
what I want to
ask you about
specifically.
You call it a
leaked
document.
It's hard to
understand if
it's sent from
the UN to a
committee.
It's
leaked.
But this is my
question.
And it's sort
of a FOIA
(Freedom of
Information
Act) like
question.
The document
says that what
was violated
is something
called the UN
Handbook for
Safety and
Security
Personnel.
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew, your
personal
issues will
not be
discussed
here.
Inner City
Press:
You're calling
it personal…
Spokesman:
Thank
you.
Masood?
Inner City
Press:
But if you can
punish
journalists,
where is the
document?
I'm requesting
the handbook.
Spokesman:
Talk to DPI
(Department of
Public
Information).
Inner City
Press: I
did, and they
don't have it.
Spokesman:
Talk to them
again.
Even
as groups like
the Government
Accountability
Project tell
Ban to reverse
the eviction
and give Inner
City Press
back its long
time office
and Resident
Correspondent
pass, Ban's UN
tellingly
moved to award
Inner City
Press' office
to Egypt state
media
Al-Akhbar /
Akhbar
Elyoum.
While
Ban told Inner
City Press
"That is not
my decision,"
and his Under
Secretary
General
Cristina
Gallach has
yet to explain
anything to
Inner City
Press, on June
5 we published
the UN's
"Aide Memoire"
which claims
that the
"rule" against
being in an
interpreters
booth is in a
UN Security
handbook that
is not
available to
the public -
it is not on
the Internet,
not on the
UN's in-house
iSeek and on
June 6, UN
MALU did not
have it -- and
states there
is no paper
work for the
underlying
meeting being
closed.
The UN
Aide Memoire
says the
entire event
-- which
included UN
paid sound
engineering -
was organized
orally between
UNCA President
Giampaolo
Piolo and Ban
Ki-moon's
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric. So
on June 5,
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
it, video
here, only
to have
Dujarric call
it a "leak" he
could not
verify and to
insist Inner
City Press
ask the
Department of
Public
Information.
Inner
City Press:
This I wanted
to ask you and
I'll try to
keep it
brief.
I've seen now
a aide-mémoire
that the UN, I
guess, Office
of Legal
Affairs sent
to the Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee, and
they said
this. It had…
since it
involves you,
I wanted to
ask you about
it. It
says that, as
to a meeting
held in this
room on 29
January, the
UN has no
documents,
correspondence
or other
written
materials in
print or
electronic
that it was a
closed
meeting.
And it says
you arranged
it entirely
orally that it
would be
closed.
So, I wanted
to ask you
this. As
a financial
matter, how is
it possible to
arrange for UN
audio
engineering
without there
being any
written record
and how…?
Spokesman:
Matthew, I
don't know
what document
you're quoting
for or what…
the veracity
of this leaked
document.
Inner City
Press:
They sent it
to the Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee.
Spokesman:
We've gone
through your
personal case
here over and
over again,
and I would
ask you to
take it up
with DPI
[Department of
Public
Information].
Inner City
Press: This
quotes you.
Spokesman:
Lot of things
quote me.
But
here is what
the UN's Aide
Memoire
provided to
the U.S.
Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee
says, in
Paragraph 9:
“The
Spokesperson
of the
Secretary-General
of the United
Nations has
informed the
Office of
Legal Affairs
that on or
about Tuesday,
26 January
2016, he was
approached by
the President
of UNCA who
orally
requested
permission
from the
Spokesperson
for the use of
the UN Press
Briefing Room
in order to
hold a
members-only
meeting of
UNCA. Among
his other
duties, the
Spokesperson
grants
permission for
the use of the
UN Press
Briefing Room
for meetings
other than
press
briefings. The
UNCA President
told the
Spokesperson
that the UNCA
Meeting Room
on the fourth
floor of the
United Nations
Secretariat
Building was
being prepared
for a
reception to
be held after
the closed
members-only
meeting and
so, the UNCA
Meeting Room
was
unavailable
for such
closed
members-only
meeting on the
29th of
January. The
Spokesperson
gave
permission
orally to the
President of
UNCA during
that encounter
on or about
the 26th of
January.”
As Inner City
Press
reported,
there were
UNTV audio
staff in the
engineers'
booth for the
UNCA meeting.
Is it credible
that this use
of UN
resources was
organized
without a
single written
record? Inner
City Press was
told that the
engineer was
to make sure
to disable the
microphones in
the briefing
room, other
than those at
the podium
occupied by
this UNCA
President
Giampaolo
Pioli and two
others.
The
UN's response
is false in
many ways -
but note that
the UNCA
Meeting Room
is NOT on the
fourth floor.
So what else
is false?
Watch this
site.
Aide
Memoire now
here
It states that
Gallach has NO
paperwork that
the meeting
she ousted and
evicted Inner
City Press for
attending was
closed. This
was requested:
“Documentation
received by
Cristina
Gallach,
Under-Secretary-General
for
Communications
and Public
Information,
including
emails,
letters, and
any other
written
communications
indicating
that the
United Nations
Correspondents
Association
meeting in the
Press Briefing
Room, that Mr.
Lee was barred
from
attending, was
a closed
meeting.”
Here is the
UN's response:
“No
official of
the United
Nations has
received or is
in possession
of any
documentation,
correspondence
or any written
materials,
whether in
print or
electronic
form,
indicating
that the
closed meeting
of the United
Nations
Correspondents
Association
(UNCA), which
took place on
Friday, 29
January 2016,
was taking
place or was a
closed
meeting.”
So if the UN
admits there
is NO WRITTEN
RECORD that
this event in
the UN Press
Briefing Room
was a closed
meeting, how
was it a
closed
meeting? How
could Inner
City Press be
ousted and
evicted for
seeking to
cover, in the
UN Press
Briefing Room,
an event
attended by
other
correspondents
and NOWHERE
listed as
closed?
And now Inner
City Press'
long time
office given
to an Egyptian
state media
which rarely
comes to the
UN and never
asks
questions?
This is a
scam; this is
UN censorship..
The UN
"aide memoire"
also claims
that Stephane
Dujarric
orally told UN
Correspondents
Association
honcho
Giampaolo
Pioli, who
previously
demanded that
Inner City
Press remove
from the
Internet a
factual story
about his
financial
relationship
with Sri
Lanka's
Ambassador
Palith Kohona,
that the
meeting was
closed. This
is a joke;
this is a
pretext.
This is
censorship. Tweeted
photograph
here.
On May
19, a sign for
"Al Akhbar
Yom" went up
on Inner City
Press' office
- Inner City
Press has
STILL never
seen the
correspondent
being given
the stolen
office.
So on
May 20 Inner
City Press
went to get an
on the record
explanation
from Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Duajrric,
before Ban
sets out on a
campaign trip
to South Korea
(denied by his
senior adviser
Kim Won-soo).
But not only
did Dujarric
refuse to
answer the
question -
Gallach's DPI
intentionally
omitted from
the transcript
Inner City
Press'
entirely
audible
question about
Ban Ki-moon's
commitment to
freedom of the
press. The
question then,
answer itself.
Since
the spin to
the NYT is
that Inner
City Press'
questions on
corruption and
censorship
somehow block
questions
other
correspondents
want to ask,
Inner City
Press twice
told Dujarric
it would hold
one question
to the end.
But Dujarric,
showing that
the spin is a
scam,
insisted: go
ahead. Video
here.From the UN
Transcript:
Inner
City Press: I
have another
question, but
I don't want
to…
Spokesman:
Well, just ask
it.
Inner City
Press:
No, no, I'll
wait.
Spokesman:
I'd like you
to ask it now.
Question:
Okay.
Stay where you
are and I’ll
do it as fast
as I
can. I
wanted to ask
you, you
sometimes say
you don’t have
a long memory,
but you’ve
been a
Spokesman for
a while.
When is the
last time, to
your
knowledge,
that the
publication
Akhbar al Youm
has been in
this room and
asked a
question?
And the reason
I asked… you
said I could
ask.
I’ll do it
quickly.
The office
that was
formerly
"Inner City
Press", has
been given to
this
organization.
I've never
seen them
here.
I'm aware
there's a rule
of being three
days a week
here.
So, I’m
wondering… and
you used to
implement that
rule.
And the reason
I’m asking
you, and
you’re going
to say, ask
MALU [Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
Unit], I want
an on the
record
quote.
This is a
media
organization
that CPJ
[Committee to
Protect
Journalists]
says targets
other medias
for arrest for
not agreeing
with the
Government.
Spokesman:
I will tell
you that I do
not have in my
head the
attendance
records of
journalists
here.
Some of you
are here every
day.
But, for the
rest of you, I
don't keep
tabs in my
head.
And again,
that’s a
question for
you to ask
MALU.
Inner
City
Pres:
But, I'm
asking for an
on-the-record
comment.
What does it
say about
freedom of the
press…
Spokesman:
I’ve given
you… Nabil?
Inner
City Press'
last line,
"What does it
say about
freedom of the
press," was
intentionally
mistranscribed
and censored:
it said, What
does it say
about Ban
Ki-moon's
commitment to
freedom of the
press."
This is
today's UN:
ham-handed
censorship.
The UN
says Resident
Correspondents
must be at the
UN three days
a week, but
Inner City
Press has
never seen
this person,
former UN
Correspondents
Association
president
Sanaa Youssef,
much less
asking a
question in
the UN noon
briefing.
The
point, of
course, which
Dujarric did
everything he
could to cut
off, including
walking out of
the brieifng
room and not
returning, is
what does it
say about Ban
Ki-moon's
supposed
commitment to
free press to
evict the
investigative
Press here
every day for
a state media
never here,
never with
questions,
which targets
other
journalists
for arrest?
The
question is
answering
itself, but we
will continue.
Dujarric's
deputy Farhan
Haq after the
briefing was
heard telling
DPI staff
under Gallach
that he had
predicted
Inner City
Press would
"go after"
Akhbar Elyom.
This is
today's UN:
here's Haq on
Jan 29, video
here,
and before.
Haq claimed
incorrectly
that "non
resident
correspondent"
passes get one
through to the
second floor:
either years
out of date or
intentional
inaccurate.
This too is
today's UN.
Scribes
speaking off
the record
according to
the New York
Times of May
14 "accused
[ICP] of
printing
gossip,
rumors." That
UNCA's
president
rented an
apartment to
Palitha Kohona
then granted
his request to
screenin the
UN his
government's
war crimes
denial film is
no rumor or
gossip.
But
Akhbar Elyom,
to which
Gallach's and
Ban's MALU and
UNCA have
given Inner
City Press'
office, not
only gets
journalists in
Egypt attested
- it targets,
with a "Muslim
Brotherhood"
smear, a
journalist who
works right in
the UN. Arabic
article here.
This is
the journalism
that Ban
Ki-moon and
his Cristina
Gallach want
and reward. By
taking away
Inner City
Press' office,
it is now
required to
have a minder
and is told to
not ask
diplomats
questions.
This is
censorship.
Akhbar
Elyom has been
used to finger
for
imprisonment
non-state
journalists in
Egypt. For
example, in
July 2015
Aboubakr
Khallaf, the
founder and
head of the
independent
Electronic
Media
Syndicate
(EMS), “was
arrested after
a news article
was published
by the
government-owned
daily Akhbar
Elyoum.”
Inner City
Press has
formally
requested the
return of its
long time
shared office
and Resident
Correspondent
status, as
have 1,450
people in this
petition,
here.