UN GATE, Nov 24 –
Each day, the current United
Nations gets worse. Usually we
focus on Secretary General
Antonio Guterres moving from
concealing his links to UN
briber CEFC China Energy to
banning the Press that asks,
to failures on Sri Lanka,
Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras
(JOH) & Nigeria (Nnamdi
& Igboho).
But today
the UN's
partnership in
censorship,
the United
Nations
Correspondents
Association,
has hit a new
low. While
having lobbied
to get
independent
Press thrown
out, and
having
unprofessionally
declined to
response in
any way to
polite letter
from a major
US law firm
asking about
UNCA's
commitment (if
any) to the
First
Amendment, now
UNCa has
"elections."
And,
for fifteen
seats there
were...
fifteen
candidates. No
competition at
all, like in
North Korea.
And at least
forty percent
of
"candidates"
are state
media,
including from
Guterres'
favorite
China.
On November 24
the results
were as
follows: only
51 people
voted - this,
claiming to
represent
jouranlists
all over the
world, while
selling them
out daily.
Even with no
competition,
some
"candidates"
like that of
France 24 got
only 31 votes.
That's a vote
of no
confidence.
We'll
have more,
much more, on
this. Because
these
unopposed
candidates,
most of them,
received the
polite law
firm letter
asking them
why they
supported or
allowed
censorship,
and they
didn't even
have the
courtesy or
professionalism
to answer. In
any way.
Impunity like
Guterres, or
the Hermit
Kingdom.
The
letter was
received by
the UN's
Melissa
Fleming, Maria
Luiza Vioti
and Tal Mekel
and to each
UNCA Executive
Board member,
to them citing
UNCA's stated
goals that it
has a charter
to supposedly
uphold. And
four months
later, no
answer. Total
corruption and
censorship.
What's
next? Since
the letter,
Inner City
Press has
published
exclusive
stories not
only from the
U.S. court
systems but
about the
United
Nations,
including its
agencies UNOPS,
UNFPA,UNITAR
and UNESCO.
(Also credited
in AP,
Daily
Mail, and
Nigeria's
Sahara
Reporters,
amid answers
from the IMF.)
But
none of its
written
questions have
been answered
by the UN
Spokespeople,
and it remains
banned from
entry to the
UN's
briefings.
This must
end.
Having
asked for a
colleagial
discussion,
and while
still offering
it, things
must turn to
the law. UNCA
is a New York
State
non-profit
which has not
only not
abided by its
stated goals -
it has
tortiously
interfered
with a
journalist's
right to cover
the United
Nations.
The United
Nations itself
propounds
Article 19 of
the Universal
Declaration of
Human Rights,
and has other
legal duties
that must be
addressed by
national
courts,
particularly
in the UN's
host
country...
Those
in receipt of
the first,
friendly
letter:
melissa.fleming@un.org,
marialuiza.viotti@un.org,
mekel@un.org,
malu@un.org,
and
UNCA
Valeria
Robecco, ANSA
News Agency,
Nabil Abi
Saab,
Al-Araby,
Jianguo Ma,
Xinhua News
Agency, Edith
Lederer,
Associated,
Giampaolo
Pioli,
Quotidiano,
Linda Fasulo,
Ibtisam Azem,
Al-Araby
Al-Jadeed
Newspaper, Ali
Barada, France
24 (31 votes)
Asharq
Al-Awsat;
Oscar Bolanos,
OMB News,
Sherwin
Bryce-Pease,
SABC South
Africa -
Alexander
Hassanein, The
Tokyo Shimbun,
Maria
Khrenova,
TASS, Philippe
Rater, Agence
France-Presse
(39 votes),
Kaori Yoshida,
Nikkei, Betul
Yuruk, Anadolu
Agency at
president@unca.com,
valeria.robecco@gmail.com,
nabisaab@gmail.com,
mjg222888@gmail.com,
elederer@ap.org,
giampioli@aol.com,
lindafasulo@gmail.com,
ibtisam.azem@alaraby.co.uk,
abarada@hotmail.com,
ombyvozque@gmail.com,
s.brycepease@gmail.com,
alexander@tokyoshimbun.us,
khrenova_m@tass.ru,
philippe.rater@afp.com,
kaori.yoshida@nex.nikkei.com,
byuruk@aa.com.tr
Three
of the 15 are
from French
media, two
from Italy,
with various
dictatorships
represented.
Newlly
"elected" is
Carrie Neuton
of Le Monde,
with 32 votes.
She is now
responsible
for the UNCA
board's lack
of response to
a law firm's
letter about
their / her
role in
censorship.
Will there be
a response?
We'll have
more on this.
Watch this
site.
***
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