In Other Media-eg New Statesman, AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT,  Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Patreon Doc
Germany - Honduras - UN Q - Tel Aviv Austria

UN GATE, Sept 14 – The United Nations claims to have a zero tolerance for sexual exploitation by its staff and peacekeepers, but routinely covers up their abuses including the rape of children, withholding basic information which was provided to the Press under Ban Ki-moon but not now under Antonio Guterres. 

   Inner City Press, which Guterres has banned from the UN for 804 days as it asks about these and his abuses, on June 23 received from outraged UN whistleblowers video of sexual exploitation, they said, in a white UN-marked vehicle, here.  Now Instagram, Facebook.

  Inner City Press named to the UN the two men in the UN van: Michael Antoine and Ray Milan. The UN did not answer Inner City Press, but on July 2 Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Antoine and Milan were no longer being paid.

 Since September 9, this has been a lie, but Dujarric did not answer Inner City Press questions on September 14, see below.

 And UN staff have complained to UN about another video, here, which they have raised to Guterres' compromised OIOS investigators without action, here. They say "I was very happy to see how Inner City Press first published a video about UN staff having a sexual act inside a UN vehicle in Israel. It is thanks to you they have started an investigation and some actions were taken against those shameless UN staff.

A video of 1st September 2020 in Damascus involving a senior UN official, Mr. John Marks, Chief of UNICEF Operations in Syria. John and female UN staff are having a sexual act with an open window in the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus. A female staff member is UNHCR Public Information Officer Mysa Khalaf, ex-Al Jazeera journalist, joining UN three years ago. Here is the John Marks video in youtube https://youtu.be/sAOtsyuY4o0 .  This shameful video was taken by a local Syrians in the street next to the hotel. It was circulated inside Syria on Facebook and other social media. A lot of anger and negativity towards the UN because of this. Locals now hate the UN because of this video in social media. Person in the video says in Arabic that these people are shameless. The Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus is where UN staff is accommodated in Syria for many years now. A senior UN official like John Marks, cannot behave in this manner, showing disrespect to local traditions and culture in Syria. It is unacceptable. He is in Syria for humanitarian reason and not for having sex with open widow showing to Damascus.   Although this video was reported to UN New York, UNICEF HQ in NY and UNHCR HQ in Geneva. Senior Management in both UNICEF and UNHCR are all trying to cover it. Nothing was done to these two UN Staff so far. Their behaviour is shameful for the UN and does not match with code of International Civil Servants and UN Humanitarian workers. They both work for humanitarian agencies UNICEF and UNHCR and people in Syria are desperate with the conflict situation and living with humanitarian crises. These kind of acts in public undermine entire humanitarian work.   The UN High Commissioner Flippo Grandi is in Syria from 13-17 September. Someone should ask him why his humanitarian staff is having a sex with other UN staff in open widow in the middle of Damascus.   Millions are paid every year for UN staff to live in the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, instead of spending these funds for Syrian people UN staff are having parties and sex in the Four Seasons Hotel.    Few months ago there was an article in local media about UN staff and UN Resident Coordinator, Head of UNDP Imran Riza with the UN country team having sushi parties in the Four Seasons Hotel where millions are hungry in the streets in Syria.Report was sent to local media from local hotel workers in Four Seasons   Inquiries should be made with UNICEF and UNHCR spokespersons so that a proper investigation starts. These kinds of people must not work in Syria as humanitarians."

Inner City Press put the question to UN Spokesman Steph Dujarric, Guterres, Fleming and others - no answer.  So, video now here.

 Meanwhile the UN Secretariat refuses to answer any of Inner City Press' questions, and the incoming PGA's office cynically refers the Press to... Guterres' Melissa Fleming. We'll have more on this.

On July 2, as Inner City Press asked a question, here, at the non-UN press conference on the sex trafficking indictment of Ghislaine Maxwell (who held a UN press conference in Dujarric's room, then was denied bail on July 14), this:

"the two staff members have been placed on Administrative Leave Without Pay, pending the results and conclusion of the ongoing OIOS investigation."  This was (intentionally) misreported by Xinhua and others as a strong UN action, "discipline." It is not, even by the UN's own terms, in ST/AI/2017/1 and ALWOP  Section 11"

 Inner City Press has exclusively published audio of OIOS' Ben Swanson saying that one of Guterres' Assistant Secretaries General thrust his hand down the pants of a female staffer - and Guterres, "a politician," said to cover it up. Audio here, here on Patreon.

 Inner City Press will continue to demand re-accreditation. It has been two years, with no appeal, no roadmap, pure corrupt censorship.

  Despite the story now being reported from Austria to Israel to Switzerland, those let in from Al Jazeera and other publications asked nothing. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.

***

Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA

Mail: Box 20047, Dag Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

 Copyright 2006-2019 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for