UN GATE, Sept 27
– Each day, the current United
Nations less accountable. And
Inner City Press, banned now
for the 1283rd day by
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres continues to report
on it, on August 16 publishing
a UN internal memo about
moving international staff to
Kazakhstan. On August 16, 17
and 18 it in writing asking
Guterres and his UN
Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric
and Melissa Fleming about it -
no answer. And no one they let
in ask, or seeming had the
memo, below.
Now on
September 27, in violation of
NYC COVID law and of basic
free press principles, this,
forwarded to Inner City Press
by disgusted inside-the-UN whistleblowers:
"Dear colleagues, UNCA
is extending an invitation
from the United Nations
Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) to a meet
and greet with the new
Secretary-General, Rebeca
Grynspan, on Wednesday,
September 29th from 1:00 -
1:30 pm in the Press Briefing
Room following her
intervention at the noon
briefing. Due to the
current in-person capacity
restrictions, the event is
open to resident
correspondents ONLY and UNCTAD
has asked resident media who
wish to attend to
RSVP... Valeria
Robecco President, United
Nations Correspondents
Association." There was a
similarly limited / censored
briefing on September 27 where
the UN invited in a Vice Chair
from Citibank and no one let
in asked about corporate abuse
and the(ir) sell-out of the
UN. One insider describe the
resident correspondent only
UNGA as entirely normal. In
the Gulf, perhaps.
The UN has
neither
responded to
or offered any
explanation
when a
lawyer's
letter - to UN
official
Fleming, and
Tal Mekel, and
to each UNCA
Executive
Committee
member - urged
them to have a
dialogue about
ending the
UN's banning
and censorship
of Inner City
Press.
On
August 9, an
independent
(minded)
journalist
asked Dujarric
about the
letter, video
here,
Spokesman:
There has been
no change in
Mr. Lee's
status.
Question:
Has the letter
been answered?
Do you plan to
answer
it?
Spokesman:
It's been
received.
Whether or not
it's been
answered, I
don't know
yet.
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.
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, 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,
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
We'll have
more on all
this. Watch
this site.
***
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