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By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFT NYP

UNITED NATIONS GATE, March 4 –How corrupt has Antonio Guterres made the UN? After roughing up and banning Inner City Press as it asked about his failure to disclose his links to UN briber CEFC China Energy and failure on Cameroon, on March 4 Guterres spent public money to spin unnamed correspondents, one of whom later gushed: "I attended a fascinating off-the-record lunch today with UN Sec-Gen Antonio Guterrez, along with a few other journalists. I had never had any dealings with him before. I found  him to be a smart, genial, reality-based man. Still important he become more visible on the world scene." Even the sycophants know Guterres is a failure. This message with menu was from Stephen Schlesinger @cannon367 Fellow at the Century Foundation @tcfdotorg - the kind of journalist Guterres invites in while using public money to rough up and ban Inner City Press. But how is this double standard possible? We'll have more on this - and on Cameroon: after Paul Biya who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years on January 28 had his opponent Maurice Kamto arrested, Inner City Press again asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his spokesmen for their comment and action, if any. This came after Guterres had Inner City Press roughed up on 3 July 2018 after it interviewed Biya's Ambassador about the two men's Budget Committee deals and banned from the UN since - Guterres even tried to get Inner City Press banned from the Park East Synagogue, here, which was denied / dodged by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric. On March 1 after the Nigerian federal high court sitting in Abuja declared illegal and unconstitutional the deportation of Ayuk Tabe and 46 others from Nigeria to Cameroon in January 2018, Dujarric who refuses questions from Inner City Press he has banned took a fake question from one of his favorites, who said "Anglophones did some shooting" - and said NOTHING about the new ruling. The refoulement took place with Guterres' Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed there, and joining in censorship since. We'll have more on this, and this:  Azanwuli Chikere, a member of the panel which heard the case, said the Nigeria federal government lacks the power to deport refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria. Ruling on an application filed by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, the court awarded N5 million damages to each of the applicant and also ordered the government to ensure the Cameroonians are brought back to Nigeria.  Among those deported were Julius Tabe, Nfor Nfor, Fidelis Che, Henry Kimeng, Awasum, Cornelius Kwanga, Tassang Wilfred, Eyambe Elias, Ojong Okongho and Nalowa Bih. Amid Guterres' shameful silence, in Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto on February 27 argued he cannot be tried in a military court - the UN seems fine with this - while supporters were held over in Kondengui prison until at least March 19. Meanwhile Guterres' UN system and affiliates, in a system that like a fish rots from the head, lavish praise and money on Paul Biya as he burns villages and takes untold money to his hotel in Geneva. It has gone beyond the money the Secretariat is raising for Biya - now the World Bank is shoveling in money for a dubious dam project: "The Cameroonian President authorized last February 22 the economy minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, to sign a loan agreement with World Bank’s subsidiary, the International Development Association (IDA), for an amount of €24.5 million, or XAF16.3 billion." How much will go for Biya's hotel bills in Geneva, paid in cash? The UN World Health Program's Matshidiso Moeti praised Biya on, if it can be believed, health while Biya is in fact killing people. Shesaid she "was touched when the Minister of State 'told me that when we train health personnel we need to tell them not only to be efficient and knowledgeable but also to treat members of the public with kindness and compassion.'" Paul Biya and compassion? That's like Antonio Guterres false claim to care about and comply with freedom of the press. Doctor, heal thyself.

On February 25 in Geneva, amid a Guterres junket full of false claims of his commitment to freedom of the press and to human rights, Biya's Foreign Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella in his speech to the UN Human Rights Council bragged of being elected to this Council, amid his government's slaughter in October 2018, and thanks Antonio Guterres. He called the opposition "armed terrorist groups" and did not mention the imprisonment and possible death penalty against for example Maurice Kamto, nor the military trial against Ayuk Tabe and those illegally refouled from Nigeria. Nor does Guterres speak about those abductions, which took place while his deputy Amina J. Mohammed was in Abuja. This is the travesty that Guterres is turning the UN system into. In Cameroon, the ten standing "trial" before the Yaounde Military tribunal have been told despite showing refugee and asylum seeker status that they cannot appeal. Their lawyers walked out, and silence from the UN of Antonio Guterres who not only does not allow appeals but provides for no hearing before having a journalists who questions him about Cameroon roughed up and banned, now for 232 days. In Cameroon, Barrister Ndong Christopher proferred two groups of documents ; one from recognizing Shufai Blaise Berinyuy, Nfor Ngala Nfor, Tassange Wilfred and Eyambe Elias as refugees.  The other set of documents established Julius Ayuk Tabe, Kwanga Cornelius, Ogork Egbe, Nde Fidelis, Kimeng Henry and Awasum Augustine as asylum seekers. Their lawyers state they will be filing an appeal at the Mfoundi High Court.  And the UN is silent; Guterres took Biya's golden statue and his ambassador Tommo Monthe's favors in the UN Budget Committee, had Inner City Press roughed up as it reported on it and banned since. This race to the bottom by Paul Biya has been in parallel with Guterres' six calls to Biya, which Dujarric refuses to answer questions about.  But Guterres and Dujarric have offered no answer to this Inner City Press question: "what is the SG's comment and follow up action, if any, on that Kamto is currently held at the building of the Groupement spécial d’opérations in Yaoundé. According to his lawyers, Kamto could be charged with: insurrection, hostility against the homeland, criminal association, threats to public order, rebellion, group rebellion, and inciting insurrection,and that there are currently up to 200 people, of whom the majority are MRC supporters, in detention following protests on January 26, and, again, on the arrest and detention of journalists Théodore Tchopa and David Eyengue Nzima merely for covering the opposition gathering in Douala. Again, what are the read-outs of his six conversations with Paul Biya and most recently of Francois Fall's visit there?" No answer. An UNacceptable fraud. After Guterres bragged again, this time in French, about his talks with Biya's government, Cameroon forces burned down the hospital in Kumba in the Anglophone Southwest Region. The UN usually calls attacks on medical facilities a war crime but as we have seen, Biya's Cameroon is a special case for Guterres, since it chaired the UN Budget Committee. But Guterres has nothing to say about Biya's burning of a hospital. Before 9 am on Febuary 11, Inner City Press in writing asked Guterres, Amina J. Mohammed, Alison Smale, Farhan Haq and "Spokesman" Stephane Dujarric: "February 11-1: On Cameroon, what is the SG's comment and action on the deadly burning down of the hospital in Kumba in the Anglophone Southwest Region, and on the imprisonment of nurse Njongwan Emeline for "unauthorized" filming the authorities mass arrests in Buea? In this context, please immediately specify the SG's statement on "dialogue avec le Premier Ministre [du Cameroun] et il nous a promis que tout ce fait pour créer des conditions de respect des droits de l’homme et de dialogue pour que la situation puisse se normaliser"?" Weeks later, nothing. Guterres has no credibility on Cameroon - he covered up Biya's slaughter since Cameroon was chair of the UN Budget Committee, took Biya's golden statue, had Inner City Press roughed up and banned 236 days and counting and bragged he spoke six times with Biya - while refusing any read outs. Back on February 9 Dujarric, who blocks Inner City Press on Twitter, issued this about his Boss Gutterres: "the Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Joseph Dion Ngute, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cameroon on the margins of the African Union Summit.     They discussed the latest political developments in the country, including the situation in the North-West and South-West regions. The Secretary-General reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to continue to support Cameroon in its efforts to strengthen peace, democracy and development.  Addis Ababa, 9 February 2019  Stéphane Dujarric  Spokesman for the Secretary-General." Continue? After Guterres took Biya's golden statue and UN Budget Committee favors and stayed silent on all Biya's killings in the Anglophone zones?  Still no answers at all.  More here.

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