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

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video here, Vine here

UN GATE, March 18 -- Stephane Dujarric, the lead spokesman of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and now Guterres' Global Communicator Melissa Fleming have joined their boss in personally covering up child rapes and sexual abuse by UN personnel, including recently a child rape by a UN "peacekeeper" from Paul Biya's Cameroon in DR Congo.

  Even while they and OIOS Ben Swanson purport to care - and even answer questions - on the UN's cover up for Burundian and Gabon rapes in CAR in 2017, they have adopted corrupt Guterres' solution going forward: cover up the cases in advance. Rough up and ban the Press which asks, leave inside only insiders who ask why they can't use the UN escalator instead of walking one or two flights of stairs, and refuse to answer written questions. Their UN is dying - and taking young victims with it. See Tel Aviv UNTSO video first published by Inner City Press on June 23, here, and Swanson here.

 On March 18, while UNspokesman Stephane Dujarric continues to lie about sexual abuse, the UN data dumped additional outrageous sexual abuses: sexual exploitation by UN Police in Haiti, by a UN military observer in Colombia (nationality of perpetrator withheld for both), by Gabon and Cameroon in the Central African Republic, including child rape. Inner City Press has in writing asked before: "On UN sexual exploitation and abuse - alleged - this is a request that you immediately provide the "if asked" information about the new case of sexual abuse by a Morocco "peacekeeper" in DRC, data dumped and the cases of  child rape and sexual exploitation by UN "peacekeepers" from Uruguay, Ethiopia, Senegal and Benin and again Cameroon, in DRC and Central African Republic just cursorily data dumped onto the UN website today December 10 (Human Rights Day and that you immediately provide the "granular" information that was promised today at noon to correspondents who barely ask or publish about this topic. What is being done for the victims? Also, again, what is Guterres' answer, which you refused to provide after banned Inner City Press asked you and others in writing on the morning of August 19 that you "immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced of child rape by a Cameroonian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo, and why this has been left so long UNanswered - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. On August 24 Inner City Press re-applied for admission to cover the UNGA high level week; on August 30 it was summarily rejected, with no or only Kafka-esque reasoning. Today, as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered. This is a request that you immediately confirm receipt of these questions and requests."

 No answer, and no one let into the noon briefing - including several state media including VOA and a handpicked climate question from Sidney - asked about the rapes. This comes after in October when abuse by Morocco was already data dumped but then covered in, in a month when the UNSC has its once a year review of Western Sahara, on which the UN's failure leads to today's news, with Melissa Fleming allowing in multiple Morocco state media and banning Inner City Press. Censorship.

 On September 2, after the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment and arrest of UN staffer Karim Elkorany for drugging and raping women in Iraq, the UN data dumped more UN sexual abuse charges -- the fourteenth this summer, only so far, as Guterres is dragging the UN down to his level of mounting abuse and no answers - this time sexual abuse by UN Tunisia "peacekeeper" in Mali, and rape by a Philippines peacekeeper in Haiti. Only on this last, child rape in Haiti (but not drug rape in Iraq), the UN's Farhan Haq has responded to Inner City Press with an answer, the first in months, which we immediately publish: "The United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) has received an allegation of sexual abuse involving a member of the military contingent from the Philippines deployed to the former United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).    The allegation refers to the rape of a child that allegedly took place in 2006, and resulted in the birth of a child.    The UN has informed the Member State of the allegation and has requested that a National Investigation Officer (NIO) be appointed within five (5) working days, and for the investigation to be completed within 90 days.    BINUH has referred the alleged victim for appropriate assistance in line with the UN’s victim assistance protocols." We'll have more on this.

 No answers, despite Dujarric's previous on camera commitment / lie about answering Inner City Press' questions. Video here.

 Worse, Dujarric repeated and expanding on the lies on September 19, video here, claiming that Inner City Press is in touch with UN Media Accreditation - while Melissa Fleming has not answered a single letter and has banned the active Press - 81,000 Twitter followers and counting, covering the courts and #6ix9ine and Halkbank and OneCoin and Doe v. ICE and the Honduras narco regime Guterres also covers up for - from entering to cover the UNGA week.

   Guterres' UN sent this out:

"From: malu malu [at] un.org
Date: Fri, Aug 30, 2019 at 4:23 PM
Subject: U.N. eAccreditation request for Matthew Lee Ref # M5413398 has been declined
To: Inner City Press:

Greetings Matthew Lee from Inner City Press,  Your media accreditation request, with reference no: M5413398, has been declined for the following reason: Media accreditation was withdrawn on 17 August 2018."

***

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

Past (and future?) UN Office: S-303, UN, NY 10017 USA
For now: 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 2006-2020 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com for