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EDNY COURT / UN GATE, April 14 – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres responded positively to entreaties by indicted Iran lobbyist Kaveh Afrisaibi, documents now sought to be withdrawn from the Federal court file but obtained by Inner City Press show. 

   Afrisiabi was illegal paid as a lobbyist by Iran Mission the UN for years, through the UN Federal Credit Union.

 Now in April 2021 Afrasiabi has written to PEN (which has done nothing about the UN roughing up and banning Inner City Press) that " in January 2021, the outgoing rogue Trump  administration that made a mockery of US Constitution and international law orchestrated the fifth  episode of my wrongful arrest and imprisonment, accusing me of violating the Foreign Agent  Registration Act."

  Now on April 14, Afrasiabi is again seeking to postpone his April 21 court date: "the government agreed to send me the discovery on USBs after I raised cybersecurity concerns and I still have not received them... as a result, I will be unable to prepare myself for the April 21st status conference." Judge Korman has already once declined to postpone it. And now? Watch this site.

 It has also emerged that Afrasiabi protected by corrupt UNSG Guterres filed papers not only with the Iran Mission - but with the UN (making Guterres' refusal to answer all the more outrageous). From Afrasiabi's sworn affidavit submitted March 5: "2. I was repeatedly assured by the Iranian officials at the Mission that my work was legal and every country including Iran was allowed under the UN rules to hire two outside consultants. 3. I repeatedly submitted my documents, i.e., pages of my passport and green card, as well as cori reports, to the Mission, which asked for them in order to submit to UN."

  Reports to the UN, from a man now arrested under US FARA. And from Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming? Nothing. Impunity.

  Even worse now that on March 9, the EDNY Judge has ruled, "Order denying [23] and [38] *** Defendant's motion [23] to continue his paid consulting relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran is denied. Defendant is free to pursue any form of employment that does not cause him to violate the terms of his release, which include the condition that he will not violate the law."  It is Guterres' UN, and Guterres personally, violating the law. Watch this site.

 On February 22, Afrisiabi filed with the EDNY court as ostensibly exculpatory evidence his work for UN Chronicle, along with "approximately 250 of his articles that reflect the Defendant’s integrity and high standard as a Middle East expert, contrary to the false allegations of the US government dismissing his writings as pure propaganda. This list does not include the Defendant’s books and is presented as exculpatory evidence. These articles have appeared in New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, SF Chronicle, UN Chronicle, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington Times, Guardian, Harvard Theological Review, Harvard International Review, Columbia Journal of International Affairs, Brown's Journal of International Affairs, Middle East Journal, Global Dialogue, Asia Times, etc. Many are reprinted in Iran Review citing the original source at bottom of each article. In many of these articles, the subject of US-Iran peace and dialogue and negotiations are discussed, showing Afrasiabi’s role as an agent of peace.And the UN of Guterres has refused every single Press question about this UN and UNFCU and now UN Chronicle-linked case. Watch this site.

 On February 18, Afrasiabi asked the court to "to dismiss the present complaint against him suo sponte on the basis of primacy of UN obligations over domestic obligation under the UN Charter" - and on his interactions with, and responses by, the office of UNSG Guterres (who has refused Inner City Press' written questions on this).

 On February 19, Guterres' UN's "informal practices" were rejected as a basis to dismiss the indictment: "ORDER denying [44],[45] *** The UN's agreements and alleged informal practices are not a basis to dismiss the indictment, which is founded on U.S. federal law. I decline to preclude the challenged statements of the U.S. Attorney. Ordered by Judge Edward R. Korman on 2/19/2021."

But when will Guterres be prosecuted?

 On February 17, Afrasiabi submitted to the EDNY court his lobbying to, and response from, jzarif [at] gmail.com to lobby UNSG Antonio Guterres,  here.

  Inner City Press, banned from the UN by Guterres, has repeated put in written questions about this to UN Spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming and to Guterres, including through SGcentral [at] un.org.

  But despite an on-camera promise to at least answer Inner City Press' written questions, there have been no answers. 

 By contrast, when Iran illegal lobbyist Afrisiabi wrote to Guterres through SGCentral [at] un.org, he got an immediately response and solicitation to clarify and request a meeting, from Guterres staffer Susanne Rose.   

A subsequent message from Rose to Afrasiabi makes clear that Afrasiabi was granted a meeting with UN official Darko Mocibob, and that Afriasiabi's illegal Iran lobbying was passed on to SG Guterres.  Sample document on Inner City Press' DocumentCloud here, more on Patreon here including "Afrasiabi was operating under UN norms" and "Exhibit I: Afrasiabi’s email to UN Secretary General, responses from the Secretary General."

  Likewise there have been not answers to this question, emailed and WhatsApp-ed on the morning of February 15 by Inner City Press to Guterres, Fleming, Dujarric and his deputy Farhan Haq, before publication of this article.

 So where are the answers on this? And given Guterres' undisclosed links also with convicted UN bribery firm CEFC China Energy, and banning of the Press which asked, how can he be allowed the second five-year term is now seeking? Watch this site.

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