On
Zambia, ICP Asks UN
of Student Arrested for
Criticizing Lungu, HH Prison
Conditions
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
July 25 – Starting back on
April 11 Inner City Press
asked the UN's spokesman
Stephane Dujarric about Zambia's
arrest for "treason" of the
opposition leader Hakainde
Hichilema. After a no-comment
then platitude, when Inner
City Press on July 6 asked
about the move to a state of
emergency, Dujarric quickly
said it is a state of
heightened... something, then
read out a statement he
otherwise wouldn't have, about
consulting the opposition.
Including the opposition
figure still locked up? On
July 25, Inner City Press
asked Dujarric's deputy Farhan
Haq, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: about
Zambia. Now not only is
the opposition leader H.H.
complaining of his conditions
in prison, he’s still in
prison, but a student is
essentially going to jail for
insulting President [Edgar]
Lungu on Facebook. So I
wanted to know, is it
something that the DPA
(Department of Political
Affairs) has continued to
follow and do they think
things getting better or
worse?
Deputy Spokesman: Well,
regarding that, yes, we have
been following developments in
Zambia. We’ve taken note
of the declaration of a state
of heightened alert, and the
President’s call for an
independent investigation into
the fire at the Lusaka Central
Market. We believe the
tensions and differences in
the country are better
addressed through constructive
and inclusive dialogue among
all stakeholders, including
with the opposition, and we
remain committed to supporting
Zambia on its path to
sustainable peace and
development.
Inner City Press: Sure.
So being able to criticize the
president on Facebook would be
considered part of a robust
debate?
Deputy Spokesman: Yes.
On July
12, Inner City Press asked, UN
transcript here: Inner City
Press: In Zambia, I know that
you'd said a few days ago that
it wasn't… you used the term
"other than a state of
emergency," and now I… I
wanted to ask you, now that
the parliament has formalized
and extended this whatever you
want to call it for three
months and the Government has
also said they're going to use
INTERPOL to try to get people
in the diaspora to return for
prosecution for what they've
said, is the UN getting
involved? What's the
UN's view of this new
development?
Spokesman: I think we,
obviously, continue to follow
those developments closely,
and I think we continue to
believe that the tensions and
existing differences in the
country should better [be]
addressed through
constructive, inclusive
dialogue for all stakeholders
in the political spectrum.
Inner City Press: Since… I
mean, I don't know if you'll
comment on INTERPOL, but there
have been increasing
complaints by people that
States are using it basically
to go after political
opponents, not criminals. Is
the…
Spokesman: INTERPOL is a
Member State organization that
is not part of the UN
system. I think you'd
have to ask that leadership
for a reaction.
That's called passing the
buck. From the UN's July 6 transcript:
Inner City Press: I've asked
you before about Zambia, but
now President Lungu has moved
to declare a state of
emergency, and I noticed
yesterday that the
Secretary-General actually, as
it happened, met with the
returning Permanent
Representative of
Zambia. Did the issue
come up? Does the UN
have any… now that things have
moved to this stage after the
arrest and continued jailing
of the opposition leaders,
suspension of Members of
Parliament, what about a state
of emergency? Does this
trigger anything at the UN?
Spokesman: No, we've…
we're obviously aware of the
situation in Zambia and the
declaration of what I think is
being referred to as "a state
of heightened alert".
We're following the
developments closely.
For our part, we believe that
tensions and differences in
the country are better
addressed through constructive
and inclusive dialogue among
all stakeholders, including
with the opposition. The
UN remains committed to
supporting Zambia on its path
to sustainable peace and
development.
The UN is
failing - Dujarric didn't even
answer Inner City Press if Mr
"Preventative Diplomacy"
Antonio Guterres raised the
issue when he gushingly
received the credentials of
Zambia's Permanent
Representative on July 5,
before Inner City Press was
ordered to not stake-out and
cover Guterres' "reform"
speech. Inner City Press on
April 26 asked Dujarric, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press: I want to
ask you about Zambia. I’d
asked you before, and you’d
said sort of a generic comment
about due process. Now
the main opposition leader,
H.H., they call him, has been
held over for trial for
treason for allegedly cutting
off the… in his car, in his
convoy, the… a convoy of the
President. Many people
are saying it’s pretty extreme
and basically it’s an attempt
to shut down the
opposition. Is DPA
(Department of Political
Affairs) or anyone in the UN
paying attention to this?
Spokesman: No, we’re
following it, and I think,
again, we would call on all
the political actors to
de-escalate the tensions and
engage in dialogue.
Following?
How? On June 13, Inner City
Press asked Dujarric, in
writing: "In Zambia,
opposition figure Hakainde
Hichilema, jailed for a
traffic infraction, has been
moved to a maximum security
prison. Given your Office's
previous answers on Zambia,
what is the UN / DPA saying or
doing on this?" Dujarric
did not answer, at the noon
briefing or after. So on June
14, Inner City Press asked
Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: earlier this
year, you'd said that DPA is
watching the situation in
Zambia where the… the
opposition leader, Mr.
[Hakainde] Hichilema, had been
put in jail. He's now
been moved to a
maximum-security jail, and 48
members of Parliament have
been suspended and can't enter
the Parliament building.
So, it seems to be getting
worse than it was
before. Has DPA
continued to follow
this? Do they have any…?
Spokesman: Yes, our…
we're obviously aware of the…
this particular situation, and
our comments made at the time
stand.
The UN is
failing. From the April 11 UN transcript:
Inner City Press: In Zambia,
the main opposition leader,
Mr. Hichilema, has been
arrested by the Government on
treason charges. Is
there any, is DPA or any of
the various envoys of the UN…
Spokesman: I don't have
anything on that.
And
nothing by the end of the day.
A full 24 hours later, not
having sent the statement such
as it was to Inner City Press,
Dujarric used his next noon
briefing to say:
"From Zambia, I think you,
Matthew, raised a question
about the issues and I can say
that we are following
developments in the country.
We are not in a position to
fully establish the facts but
hope that due process and an
impartial investigation into
the events will take place.
Zambia has made great strides
in consolidating its democracy
and has a tradition of
peaceful transition of
power. Differences
should be addressed through a
constructive and inclusive
dialogue to further advance on
the path to sustainable peace
and development."
The
UN has no
credibility in calling for
due process: the
Organization including Dujarric
evicted
and restricts
the Press with no
hearing, no appeal, no
explanation. On April
13, Inner City Press asked
Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: I wanted to
ask, on Zambia, yesterday,
you'd said, you'd come back
with the statement that the UN
can't verify the facts but is
concerned about due
process. So I wanted to
ask you, now, the lawyers for
the opposition leader, in
particular his lawyer, Jack
Mwiimbu, has said publicly
that he's being blocked from
seeing his client. Was
this, since there seemed to be
some issues with the UN…
Spokesman: I would
reiterate what I said
yesterday.
The gap
between what the UN says and
does is as wide as ever, maybe
wider. Back on March 30 after
the UN's noon briefing with
only three questioners (and
without still-restricted
Inner City Press), the
question again arose: what is
the bare minimum a
spokesperson should be
expected to do, for an
organization like the UN?
Should it include at least
providing some response to
Press questions submitted?
Despite only have to response
to the three questioner, two
hours after submission not one
of these, or outstanding
questions on Cameroon and
Western Sahara, was answered:
"These are four questions in
advance of the noon briefing,
to be answered at that time,
thanks in advance:
1) In Cambodia, opposition
leader Sam Rainsy has just
been sentenced to one year and
eight months in prison along
paying a fine to Hun Sen on
charges of “defamation.” This
coincides with the 20th
anniversary of the grenade
attack on a rally led by
Rainsy. What is the UN's
comment, and separately what
is it doing about this in
Cambodia? 2) On the DRC Congo:
1. Who found the bodies of
Sharp & Catalan? The UN or
the DRC authorities? 2. How
many bodies were found? Just
2, or 3? 3. Is the UN aware of
the status of Betu Tshintela?
Can the UN confirm that Betu's
body was found along with
Michael & Zaida? 4. How to
explain this discrepancy? 5.
Has the UN been to the site
where the bodies were found,
yes or no? 3) In light of
recent criticism that the UN
supports corrupt governments,
please explain / amplify the
UN's RC in Zimbabwe's
statement that “'Our role is
to support development in
Zimbabwe in partnership with
the government. We are behind
government' ... He said all
its efforts were done in
agreement with President
Robert Mugabe and his
government.” 4) Also, please
describe the vetting done in
connection with Sri Lanka
military deployments with UN
Peacekeeping missions in Mali
and elsewhere, given the UN's
own reports on military abuses
in Sri Lanka." We'll have more
on this.
On March 29, the UN was
providing two responses to
five Inner City Press
question, simply ignoring
questions on Cameroon,
corruption and Western Sahara?
Inner City Press on the
morning of March 29 asked the
UN's top three spokespeople
"questions in advance of the
noon briefing, to be answered
at that time: 1) What is the
Secretary General's comment on
Jordan rolling out the red
carpet for Sudan's Omar al
Bashir, subject to an ICC
arrest warrant for genocide?
2) Given that the UN Economic
Commission for Africa has had
to delay its meeting with
African finance ministers at
the Dakar meeting the 38th
floor is tracking due to
Morocco seeking to exclude the
Polisario, does the SG / DPA
think these developments move
the situation in Western
Sahara closer to a peaceful
solution and referendum? 3) In
one of two UN-related bribery
prosecutions in the US
District Court for the
Southern District of New York,
Ng Lap Seng's co-defendant
Jeff C. Yin is now engaged in
plea negotiations, as Ng Lap
Seng's trial draws near. Will
the UN be monitoring the trial
as to what it shows of UN
involvement, and what was done
regarding the DGACM official
who provided a falsified /
amended for “technical”
reasons document regarding the
proposed Macau convention
center? 4) Because UNanswered,
asking again: In Cameroon,
former UN legal adviser (in
UNAMA and elsewhere) Felix
Agbor Balla now, according to
a UK-based barristers'
organization, faces a military
trial with the death penalty
on the table for speaking out
about conditions in the
country's Anglophone areas,
where the Internet has been
cut for 71 days and counting.
Particularly given
Agbor-Balla's former position
as a UN legal expert, what is
not only the UN's comment, but
what is the UN doing to
attempt to ensure he receives
due process? Also, what about
the arrest of human rights
lawyer Robert Fon and his
transfer to Yaounde? Also,
yesterday your Office replied,
regarding the USG of DPI, “We
will announce arrivals and
departures as they occur.” Now
that your partner has arranged
a farewell for this USG for
March 30, what is the
rationale for your Office
refusing to confirm her
departure and the status of
recruiting a replacement? And
the unanswered questions
below."
To those
Inner City Press questions,
the UN Spokesman provided,
past 2:30 pm, only this --
"Regarding your question about
Omar al-Bashir, our position
on him remains
unchanged. We urge all
States, including the States
Parties to the Rome Statute of
the ICC, to abide by their
obligations. Regarding the
naming of senior officials, we
have announced two
appointments today (for the
Executive Director of WFP and
the High Commissioner for
Disarmament Affairs).
Other announcements will be
made in due course.
Regarding
Under-Secretary-General
Cristina Gallach, her position
will be filled by an
Officer-in-Charge upon her
departure while the process to
find a new
Under-Secretary-General for
Public Information continues."
So, nothing on Cameroon or
Morocco / Western Sahara /
ECA, nor other questions on UN
costs and corruption. We'll
have more on this.
Earlier (2016) here.
***
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