SDNY / UN GATE,
March 5 – When Russia
announced it would recognize
independence for the Donetsk
and Luhansk "People’s
Republics," and then invaded
Ukraine, eyes turned to the
United Nations, full of
corruption and ineptitude
under Antonio Guterres.
Guterres
was nowhere to be seen, only
recently back from the
Genocide Games in Beijing. His
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
banned Inner City Press from
his noon briefing, which he
started late cutting off even
others by WebEx. In the room,
he took three questions in a
row from China state media.
After military action began
literally during a Security
Council meeting, a draft
resoluation came out - Inner
City Press has published it here
and here
-- sure to be vetoed,
Inner City Press wrote on
February 24.
On February 25 it
happened. Not only the veto,
but abstentions by China
(population 1.4 billion and a
genocide supported by
Guterres), India also with
population of 1.4 billion, and
the president of the Security
Council for March, the
UAE. Inner City Press
has asked the UAE Mission, in
writing, for access to its
March 1 and all March press
availabilities - without
answer yet.
(UAE Ambassador
Lana Nusseibeh, Inner City
Press has reported from the
EDNY courthouse, must answer
about the UAE illegal lobbying
payments to indicted Tom
Barrack, as well as role in
the 1MDB Malaysia scandal).
Guterres,
though, continues to take the
cake for sleaze. While
bragging on March 5 about a
call with Ukraine's Foreign
Minister, he and spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said nothing
of, and covered up, Guterres
craven call with Russia's
Defense Minister. Compare here
which has Guterres thanking
Shoygu with UN Spokesperson's
site. These are just lies -
Guterres is corrupt.
As to UNUN: "U.S.
Mission to the United Nations
Spokesperson Olivia Dalton
says: The United States has
informed the United Nations
and the Russian Permanent
Mission to the United Nations
that we are beginning the
process of expelling twelve
intelligence operatives from
the Russian Mission who have
abused their privileges of
residency in the United States
by engaging in espionage
activities that are adverse to
our national security. We are
taking this action in
accordance with the UN
Headquarters Agreement. This
action has been in development
for several months."
We'll have more on this,
including on inaction. Inner
City Press' continued
exclusion, and non-response by
Under SG Melissa Fleming, was
raised by a pro bono law firm
to the State Department's
Laurel Rapp in December 2021.
On Monday
Feb 28 in Geneva, with the
Human Rights Council saying
any action before Thursday
would be inconvenient, a slew
of rapporteurs silent on
Guterres' banning of Press
tried to get on the band
wagon: "
*The experts: Fionnuala Ní
Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on
the promotion and protection
of human rights and
fundamental freedoms while
countering terrorism; Tlaleng
Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur
on the right of everyone to
the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of
physical and mental health;
Siobhán Mullally, Special
Rapporteur on trafficking in
persons, especially women and
children; Morris Tidball-Binz,
Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions; Irene
Khan, Special Rapporteur on
the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; Mary
Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights
defenders; Clément Nyaletsossi
Voule, Special Rapporteur on
the rights to freedom of
peaceful assembly and of
association; Olivier De
Schutter, Special Rapporteur
on extreme poverty and human
rights; Sorcha MacLeod
(Chair-Rapporteur), Jelena
Aparac, Ravindran Daniel,
Chris Kwaja, Working Group on
the use of mercenaries;
Melissa Upreti (Chair),
Dorothy Estrada Tanck
(Vice-Chair), Elizabeth
Broderick, Ivana Radačić, and
Meskerem Geset Techane,
Working Group on
discrimination against women
and girls; Tomoya
Obokata, Special Rapporteur on
contemporary forms of slavery,
including its causes and
consequences; Elina Steinerte
(Chair-Rapporteur), Leigh
Toomey, Mumba Malila, Priya
Gopalan, Working Group on
arbitrary detention; Vitit
Muntarbhorn, Special
Rapporteur on Cambodia; Obiora
Okafor, Independent Expert on
human rights and international
solidarity; Fernand de
Varennes, Special Rapporteur
on minority issues; Victor
Madrigal-Borloz, Independent
Expert on protection against
violence and discrimination
based on sexual orientation
and gender identity; Saad
Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur
on the right to development;
Alexandra Xanthaki, Special
Rapporteur in the field of
cultural rights; Claudia
Mahler, Independent Expert on
the enjoyment of all human
rights by older persons;
Gerard Quinn, Special
Rapporteur on the rights of
persons with disabilities;
Felipe González Morales,
Special Rapporteur on the
human rights of migrants;
Fabián Salvioli, Special
Rapporteur on the promotion of
truth, justice, reparation and
guarantees of non-recurrence;
Pedro Arrojo Agudo, Special
Rapporteur on the human rights
to safe drinking water and
sanitation; Ahmed Shaheed,
Special Rapporteur on freedom
of religion or belief; Javaid
Rehman, Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights
in the Islamic Republic of
Iran; Michael Lynk, Special
Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in the
Palestinian Territory occupied
since 1967; Yao Agbetse,
Independent Expert on the
situation of human rights in
the Central African Republic;
Luciano Hazan
(Chair-Rapporteur), Ms. Aua
Baldé (Vice Chair), Ms.
Gabriella Citroni, Mr.
Henrikas Mickevičius and Mr.
Tae-Ung Baik, The UN Working
Group on Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances;
José Francisco Calí Tzay,
Special Rapporteur on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
Livingstone Sewanyana,
Independent Expert on the
promotion of a democratic and
equitable international order;
David R. Boyd , the Special
Rapporteur on human rights and
the environment; Marcos A.
Orellana, Special Rapporteur
on the implications for human
rights of the environmentally
sound management and disposal
of hazardous substances and
wastes; Balakrishnan
Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur
on the right to adequate
housing; Mama Fatima
Singhateh, Special Rapporteur
on the sale and sexual
exploitation of children,
including child prostitution,
child pornography and other
child sexual abuse material;
Attiya Waris, Independent
Expert on foreign debt, other
international financial
obligations and human rights;
Tendayi Achiume, Special
Rapporteur on contemporary
forms of racism, racial
discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance; Reem
Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on
violence against women, its
causes and consequences; Alice
Cruz, Special Rapporteur on
the elimination of
discrimination against persons
affected by leprosy and their
family members; Cecilia
Jimenez-Damary, Special
Rapporteur on the human rights
of internally displaced
persons; Ms. Elżbieta Karska
(Chairperson), Fernanda
Hopenhaym (Vice Chairperson),
Surya Deva, Anita Ramasastry
Working Group on the issue of
human rights and transnational
corporations and other
business enterprises; Koumba
Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur
on the right to education;
Muluka Anne Miti-Drummond,
Independent Expert on the
enjoyment of human rights by
persons with albinism;
Dominique Day (Chair),
Catherine S. Namakula
(Vice-Chair), Miriam Ekiudoko,
Sushil Raj, Barbara G.
Reynolds Working Group of
Experts on People of African
Descent; Mohamed Abdelsalam
Babiker, Special Rapporteur on
the Situation of Human Rights
in Eritrea
.
Gladys Acosta Vargas, Chair,
on behalf of the Committee on
the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women;
Carmen Rosa Villa Quintana,
Chair, on behalf of the
Committee on Enforced
disappearances; Mikiko Otani,
Chair, on behalf of the
Committee on the Rights of the
Child; Rosemary Kayess, Chair,
on behalf Committee on the
Rights of Persons with
Disabilities; Suzanne Jabbour,
Chairperson, and the Bureau,
on behalf of the Subcommittee
on Prevention of Torture
(SPT); Can Osman Unver,
Chairperson, and the Bureau,
on behalf of the Committee on
the Protection of the Rights
of All Migrant Workers and
Members of their Families."
Don't believe the
hype: these rapporteurs don't
even hold the UN accountable
for child rapes and
censorship.
On
Saturday, with the UN dead. it
announced a renewed UN
Security Council clown show
for Sunday 3 pm, to send the
whole circus of hot air and
Guterres' corruption on Monday
to the UN General Assembly,
bought by Chinese state
bribers Ng Lap Seng and CEFC
China Energy / Ye Jianming
under John Ashe and Sam
Kutesa. And Abdulla Shahid? He
and his spokesperson Paulina
Kubiak won't answer Inner City
Press' written questions about
who pays the UNPGA staff.
And on Sunday,
February 27, not a single vote
was flipped: still three
abstentions, including China,
and Russia against. Yet some
bragged of the vote as a win,
or somehow making the UN
something other than a
failure, like the League of
Nations. Video here.
Inner City Press, now
banned by Guterres, exposed
Awad siding with the extremist
government of Sri Lanka:
The Staff Union alleges
a pattern: "The recent action of Sri
Lanka to detain two national staff
appears to be a campaign against UN
personnel, which is illegal under
international law. Authorities have
been arresting, without explanation,
UN staff members, initially refusing
to provide access to them by UN
officials." Clickhereto
view the Staff Union statement.
Before issuing their
statement, UN Staff Union officials
expressed outrage atquotes
by the UN'sCountry
Representative in Sri Lanka,
UNHCR's Amim Awad,that"the
UN acknowledges without
reservation the right of the
security services of Sri Lanka to
investigate any allegations of
criminal wrongdoing, including by
UN staff members, and will
cooperate fully to support due
process."
The
UN is advertising its
obsolescence, like a badge of
honor. It is time to move on.
The deep
decay of the UN under Guterres
came into focus, but its
supporters looked away and
made excuses. Stand-up here.
First Ukraine song here
At the courts,
which Inner City Press while
banned from the UN by Guterres
covers, Ukraine, fending off
troops on its borders and
separately an arbitral award
to Tatneft, cited both in
arguments before U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York
Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn
on February 17. Inner City
Press live tweeted it (more on
Patreon here),
thread here:
now Ukraine v.
PAO Tatneft, in which Ukraine
is opposing discovery requests
by citing troops on its
border. SDNY judge says, I
understand, but... Ukraine's
lawyer Maria Kostytska: There
is no justification for these
52 subpoenas from Tatneft.
There are troops on Ukraine's
border.
Judge: I
understand that. But I am
concerned with efficiencies in
these two litigations. Ukraine
wants a protective order
entered - not (just) to
protect it militarily, but
hear to keep documents in the
case secret, from the Press
and public. Inner City Press
may after research oppose this
- this week we won some
unsealing, here
Tatneft's lawyer:
Ukraine wants to delay. We
have subpoena-ed financial
institutions. [From docket,
involved:
#BankOfAmerica,
#WellsFargo, #MorganStanley,
#Santander, #CIBC,
#CreditAgricole &
#GoldmanSachs (which we're
covering #EDNY: US v. Ng.
Ukraine: There
are discovery proceedings in
four Federal courts, in NY and
DC. [So what's the 4th?] We
are speaking on behalf of the
highest levels of Ukraine's
government. The Prime Minister
is considering this. There is
a mediation upcoming.
Ukraine's lawyer:
We are not delaying. We are
exercising our recourse
against an award based on
illegal share purchase using
promissory notes. We have not
waived this due to estoppel.
We have not provided on
appeal. So we seek certiorari
Tatneft's lawyer:
The discovery could be avoided
if Ukraine would secure the
judgment. The arbitral award
is what it is. We are entitled
to pursue discovery without
further delay. Judge: Maybe
Ms. Kostytska tomorrow will
have more info from her client
[Ukraine]
Judge: So
this is how we're going to
proceed -- Ukraine's lawyer:
We want to add an additional
suggestion, we want
reconsideration under Local
Rule 6.3, your clear error.
Digging into the
docket, we find a declaration
by Ukraine citing the US State
Department on an "invasion
force of 175,000."
This case is
Ukraine v. PAO Tatneft, 21-mc-376
(Koeltl / Netburn)
***
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