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     Click here for Inner City Press' weekday news reports, from the United Nations and elsewhere.  Click here for a recent BBC piece on Inner City Press' reporting from the United Nations  Search This Site    Click for March 1, 2011 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption by Inner City Press.     Click here for Inner City Press front page

  ICP has published a (double) book about a variety of Bronx-relevant topics -- a review in Commonweal magazine of Dec. 5, 2003, opines  that "Predatory Bender... is as vivid an account of life in the Bronx as you are likely to read" -- click here for sample chapters, here for an interactive map,  here for fast ordering and delivery, and here for other ordering information.  See also, "City Lit: Roman a Klepto [Review of ‘Predatory Bender’]," by Matt Pacenza, City Limits, Sept.-Oct. 2004. CBS MarketWatch of April 23, 2004, says the the novel has "some very funny moments," and that the non-fiction mixes "global statistics and first-person accounts." The Washington Post of March 15, 2004, calls Predatory Bender: America in the Aughts "the first novel about predatory lending;" the London Times of April 15, 2004, "A Novel Approach," said it "has a cast of colorful characters."   The Pittsburgh City Paper of Dec. 11, 2003, wrote that it "may, in fact, be the first great American lending malfeasance novel" including "low-level loan sharks, class-action lawyers, corporate bigwigs, hired muscle, corrupt politicians, Iraq War veterans, Wall Street analysts, reporters and one watchdog with a Web site."  And all in The Bronx!   Click here for that review; for more information, contact us.
2014: MRL on Beacon Reader

November 12, 2018

Financial Follies Mock Bankrupt Puerto Rico As in DC Forecloser Joe Otting Targets the Community Reinvestment Act

By Matthew R. Lee, Video, story, FOIA docs

SOUTH BRONX, November 10 – A non-funny thing happened at the Financial Folllies fundraiser of the New York Financial Writers Association on November 9. They said they would "Skewer Bankers, Executives and Politicians." But, beyond mocking the #MeToo movement, the skewering turned about to be of bankrupt Puerto Rico - and with the costumes and hats being from Mexico, sombreros, with lyrics, to tune of Despacito: We can help you with your little bankruptcito/we’re the brains, you’re the debtor in ‘el possessionito’/words turn into Spanish just by adding ‘ito’/when we’re in San Juan we drink mojito-itos/& look out 4 the Zika from the ‘squitos." Video here, via Law360's Alex Wolf. While many in the audience were outraged, there was little real time in-person opposition expressed. This is called skewering the victim. What's next, mocking those being foreclosed on - by OneWest Bank, now CIT? The US Treasury Department is in a process to try to weaken and take the community out of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. Docket file here. The protagonist, akin to Scott Pruitt when he was at the US Environmental Protection Agency (and soon it would seem to be subject to greater oversight in the House Banking Committee), is Comptroller of the Current Joseph Otting. On September 12 Fair Finance Watch (and on FOIA, Inner City Press) commented to the OCC, here. On October 16, yet more on Otting's assault on the CRA became known. Under him, the OCC has ignored the rare racial redlining settlement by Klein Bank, rubber stamping Old National's acquisition of the bank over the timely and detailed objection and public hearing request of Fair Finance Watch. Otting doesn't like public hearings.  In April 2018 his OCC approved an application by E-Trade Saving Bank which Fair Finance Watch had challenged based on the bank having no fewer than six states rare "Needs to Improve" CRA ratings. FFW noted rare Needs to Improve ratings for the entire states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Oregon, and an undeserved “Satisfactory” for New York. Otting's OCC, after the approval, helpfully contacted E-Trade Bank to tell it that upon (Otting's) reflection, it was no longer even subject to the Community Reinvestment Act. Another institution was similarly contacted - the OCC under Otting is going through its roster of banks seeing which ones it can "free" from CRA even if they hadn't requested in. In one case, some in the bank still didn't want Otting's freedom and move more business into the bank to get a second reversal of Otting's orders. But it shows where Otting is coming from, beyond the unexplained comment-fraud for which he should be recused. Inner City Press on October 11 raised the E-Trade (and another bank) issue into the record on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. But, Otting being Otting, his OCC denied expedited processing for Inner City Press' Freedom of Information Act request bout his deregulation move, ruling that "You requested all records in the OCC's possession concerning the applicability of the Community Reinvestment Act to - or exemption there from - any affiliate of E-Trade or Bank of America California NA for the time period of October 11, 2016 to October 11, 2018. You also requested expedited processing of your request on the basis that the ANPR on CRA is open through November 19, 2018. Your request for expedited processing does not meet the criteria provided for in 5 U.S.C. 552(a)(6)(E) and Treasury disclosure regulations at 31 C.F.R. 1.5(e)." And that regulation... requires a formal certification. So Inner City Press appealed: "As a  a person primarily engaged in disseminating information, I am appealing the denial of expedited processing of my FOIA request, summarized by the OCC as for all records in the OCC's possession concerning the applicability of the Community Reinvestment Act to - or exemption there from - any affiliate of E-Trade or Bank of America California NA for the time period of October 11, 2016 to October 11, 2018.
...The OCC under Joseph Otting's actions to try to find banks to exempt from CRA outrageous and something on which there is an  urgency to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity. As noted in my request, this is particularly the case given the OCC's unilateral moves regarding the CRA. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. Executed on October 16, 2018." Now weeks later, the OCC's Deputy Chief Counsel Charles M. Steele has denied the appeal, claiming it is not clear why the public needs access to these records of Otting's current attacks on CRA before OCC closes its comment period on Otting's new, desperate attempt. The OCC's denial makes light of Otting's actions including soliciting false comments during the public review process of his sale of OneWest Bank to CIT - as if there is no connection to Otting's current gambit. FOIA Denial here and for download on Patreon.
November 5, 2018

UNSG Guterres Tried To Have Press Thrown Out of Synagogue Before His Speech No Answer on Why Or Missionary Killed

By Matthew Russell Lee, Audio, Video, Alamy photos

PARK EAST SYNAGOGUE, October 31 – In the wake of the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Inner City Press went to cover a memorial event at Manhattan's Park East Synagogue. As it stood in line with others to be screened, the UN Security detail of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, one of the speakers, pointed out Inner City Press. One heard audibly into the microphone in his ear, "He's going in." But once in, Inner City Press was told to go up to the balcony with the rest of the media including photographers. It was setting up its recording equipment when a non-UN security man told it to follow up. In the basement he said, "Go," opening a door out to 67th Street. Inner City Press asked why. Audio here. The security man reached over and turn off Inner City Press' recorder. Ultimately when Inner City Press demonstrated what it writes and streams about, the office -- Shay Amir, head of security - allowed Inner City Press back to the balcony. So here are Inner City Press' photos of the event on Alamy, here. Inner City Press photos of two of Guterres' Security involved in this censorship here. Inner City Press from the balcony, before noon, e-mailed questions to Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Alison Smale who told UNSR David A. Kaye questions would be answered, Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and others: "October 31-1: Immediately explain the basis on which SG Guterres' Security tried to get Park East Synagogue head of security Shay Amir to have Inner City Press removed from his speech about tolerance." Hours later, the UN refused to answer this question, and one on the missionary killed by Cameroon, while send a single canned answer on Sri Lanka. Also at the event were, among others, Bronx congressman Engel, US Deputy Ambassador David Cohen, Israel's Danny Danon. Guterres has yet to speak or have his spokesman Stephane Dujarric answer Inner City Press' question about Cameroon killing missionary Charles Wesco, despite promises by UN USG Alison Smale to UNSR David Kaye that questions would be answered. What has the UN become, under Guterres?
October 29, 2018

In The Bronx, Great Liberia Photos and Ambiguous Role of UN Failing on Cameroon and Censorship

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFT Q&A

UNITED NATIONS, October 26 – There is in The Bronx an exhibition of photographs from Liberia by two martyred journalists, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros. Inner City Press went to see it - and an exhibition opening speech by senior UN official Amina J. Mohammed. Video here. This is, therefore, a hybrid review - but we'll start with the photographs. They are stunning. Child soldiers, internally displaced people in a former Masonic Lodge in Monrovia, US Marines guarding the port.

Any positive UN role at the time of the photographs is harder to find. But people assume that the UN is good, or project on it all of their good feeling. And so Deputy Secretary General Mohammed, arriving characteristically later accompanied by unneeded security guards whispering into microphones that a question might be asked - was the keynote speaker, pitching her Nigerian government's role in all these West African conflicts. But what about Biafra? What about Mohammed herself remaining silent less than a year ago about her Nigerian government illegally detained and sent to Cameroon UN-registered refugees, Ayuk Tabe and 46 others? This was beyond the scope of the (excellent) exhibit.

In full disclosure, Inner City Press has in the past known the organizer, Michael Kamber, when he photographed the Inner City Press homesteaders fixing abandoned buildings in the Crotona Park East area of the South Bronx for the now defunct Village Voice. Inner City Press made point of telling him afterward, I'm going to praise the exhibit but tell the truth about the UN. He said he understood, that is Inner City Press' way. And so:

  In 2017 it emerged that Amina Mohammed, just before she left her position as Nigeria's Minster of Environment, signed thousands of back date certificates for illegally exported rosewood sent to China from Nigeria and Cameroon. Inner City Press, then in the UN, sought to question her about it. Soon Inner City Press was roughed up by UN Security and thrown out onto First Avenue on 3 July 2018, video here, and banned since.

   In fact the UN of Mohammed and SG Antonio Guterres who nominated her - and whose son Pedro does UNdisclosed business in Angola, Namibia, Sao Tome and Cabo Verde - have a secret banned from the UN list, on which they have put Inner City Press amid its questions, and which their Security official Matthew Sullivan is telling NYPD not to disclose. No self respecting Bronxite would put up with such a scam, and Inner City Press is not different. As we told Amina Mohammed as she fast-toured the exhibition after her speech, the UN should belatedly take action on the slaughter of Anglophones in Cameroon, and UN Censorship must end. She could end it - but will she? The request is in. These questions might seem aggressive. But that is journalism. The UN cannot be allowed to rough up and ban the Press that asks the questions.


  There was a speaker from the Office of the Mayor - which, when Inner City Press asked under the Freedom of Information Law for its knowledge of the UN's secret banned list which includes "political activists" conferred with the UN and then seeks to delay response to 2019.

 But, back the positive, the work of Bronx Documentary Center and Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC), training freelance war correspondents in emergency medicine, must continue. We recommend their work, and the exhibition. It is at 364 East 151st Street in The Bronx. Tell us what you think.
October 22, 2018

For years Inner City Press has reported on the outrage of Metro North's red Connecticut trains not allowing on passengers at Fordham Road, even testifying about it to the MTA. Now the MTA claims it never knew, to the Daily News: "The New Haven line set up goes back to 1848, when the New York & Harlem and the New Haven railroad companies met at a junction in what is now Woodlawn.

The New Haven trains would pull into the station and let passengers off — but wouldn’t pick up any new riders.

By 1920, the Connecticut trains no longer stopped in the Bronx. But by the 1970s, a few New Haven trains began to stop at Fordham — but only to drop off riders.

When the rail lines became Metro-North in 1983, more trains were scheduled to stop at Fordham, along with the Harlem line trains. But the policy of excluding city riders at the Fordham and 125th St. stops.

“A lot of people wonder why you can’t get on the New Haven train in Fordham if you’re going to Grand Central,” Tom Meehan, New York Chapter, chairman, the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. “It’s an anachronism.”

Metro-North and Connecticut Department of Transportation split the costs of running the New Haven line, with the Nutmeg State putting up two-thirds of the bill, totaling $130 million last year, after fares are collected.

MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said that the agency will review the policy and discuss the arrangement with Connecticut.

“It is essential to ensure that we’re providing the best service possible to all of our customers,” Donovan said." Really...
October 15, 2018

UN Has Secret List of People Banned Guterres Puts Inner City Press On With Political Activists Without Review

By Matthew Russell Lee, Audio

UNITED NATIONS, October 11 – The UN maintains a secret list of people banned from entering its premises. Even the Security officers who enforce the ban are not told the reason why a person is on the list: whether it was for actual violence, or writing articles questioning the Secretary General Antonio Guterres' misuse of public funds, for example. One told Inner City Press the secret list includes "demonstrators" and "political activists," audio here.

  Guterres or apparently his head of Global Communications Alison Smale, if only as a proxy, can put a journalist on the list without any review, any notice, any appeal. It is a dictator's dream come true.

   Inner City Press was physically ousted twice by Guterres' UN Security this summer as it reported on his now-15 flights to his home in Lisbon with public funds, his trading away of Cameroon human rights abuses for favors in the Budget Committee, and now his son Pedro's undisclosed business links in Africa. Smale on August 17, without once speaking to me covering the UN for Inner City Press for 11 years, withdrew my media accreditation.

  But it's gone further than that. For example, on October 11 I showed up for a film screening about sex trafficking, “Love Sonia,” to which I had been invited by the UN Office of Drugs and Crimes. UNODC's New York director personally put me on the list for a post screening reception and came and met me and took me to the UN gate to sign me in, since my ticket - which she said she'd seen - mysteriously disappeared.

  UN Security refused to allow the NY director of UNODC to sign me in. “Even if he had a ticket we'd have to check,” one officer said. I was told that a supervisor would come out, and that UNODC would speak to them. But after one hour it never happened. Guterres' chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti left the building and I audibly told her, I'm invited but I'm being blocked. She did not even break stride.

  The UN has given me nothing in writing that I am banned. Guterres' spokesman has stated it as a fact, without explanation or rationale, on October 9 and 11, while refusing to answer my e-mailed questions despite Smale's promise they would be answered to supposedly respect my "journalistic endeavours."

   Another UN Security officer told me, No one is going to help you. You are on the list. I asked him, who else is on the list? He mentioned “demonstrators” and "political activists" and others. Audio here.

  Tellingly, NOT on Guterres' banned list are those who pleaded guilty to UN bribery for example in the Ng Lap Seng - John Ashe case. They are not banned by Guterres, UNlike the journalist who most closely covered those convictions, and the current UN bribery case of Patrick Ho and the China Energy Fund Committee. Guterres is fine with bribery, but bans those who investigate and expose it.

UNSG Guterres thinks he can ban people without no notice, no due process, no review? And that it won't be noticed or reviewed? Watch this site.

October 8, 2018

Here was an event that became too full for the public, and for which a request to cover did not garner a response:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be hosting another listening tour event as part of her campaign's commitment to cultivating a dialogue in the Bronx and Queens. Space is very limited at these events and press will need to apply for campaign credentials. To apply, please send an email to press@ocasio2018.com

Decarceration in NYC: Restoring Dignity, Uplifting Communities
What: Criminal justice reform activists will speak on their work and ways to affect change in our communities, followed by a Q&A session.
Who: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shanequa Charles, Akeem Browder, and Michael Beltzer
Where: Parkside Senior Center, 644 Adee Ave, Bronx, NY 10467
When: Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Justice Democrats, 714 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902, USA

October 1, 2018

Gadio Cooperates Against UN Briber CEFC Patrick Ho Says $2M Donation to Deby Guterres Bans Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Q&A, HK here

UNITED NATIONS, September 29 – Four months after the arrest for UN bribery of former Senegalese foreign minister Cheik Gadio and Patrick Ho, the head of China Energy Fund Committee full funded by CEFC China Energy, his ultimate boss at CEFC Ye Jianming was brought in for questioning in China. On July 19, the lawyers for Patrick Ho, led by Benjamin Rosenberg of Dechert LLP, argued before U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska that count after count of the indicts should be dismissed. Edward Kim of Krieger Kim & Lewin LLP tried to get Ho's emails and text messages suppressed, without success. On August 9, Ho's appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to get out on bail was again denied. Now the prosecution, opposing yet another Ho bail application, has written: "Gadio has been meeting with the Government for some time and he is expected to testify at trial pursuant to a recently executed non-prosecution agreement.  And far from weakening the case, Gadio’s testimony will provide substantial evidence of the defendant’s guilt. As the defendant is well-aware from a written disclosure made by the Government more than four months ago, Gadio is expected to testify, in sum and among other things, that (i) the defendant provided $2 million in cash, concealed within a gift box, to the President of Chad in connection with a business meeting in Chad in or about December 2014, (ii) the President refused to accept this obvious bribe, which Gadio understood was connected to the defendant’s interest in business opportunities in Chad, and (iii) the defendant thereafter drafted a letter to the President, purporting to pledge this $2 million to charitable causes, but the defendant appeared to have no interest in doing charitable works in Chad, and indeed, the defendant never asked Gadio about the status of the purported “donation” or made any other reference to the subject. (See Def. Ltr. Ex. A.) This expected testimony considerably strengthens the Government’s proof beyond the
already-strong case reflected in the detailed Complaint. The Complaint explained that, following a December 2014 business meeting in Chad, the defendant drafted a letter pledging a $2 million so-called “donation” to “the people of Chad at [the President of Chad’s] personal disposal to support [his] social and other programs as [he] see[s] fit.” (Compl. ¶ 28(a).) The Complaint did not, however, explain whether—and at what point—any money was actually paid. Gadio’s expected testimony makes clear that, in fact, the defendant provided $2 million in cash directly to the President, concealed within a gift box, and that the pledge letter was drafted after the bribe had already been offered. Thus, the evidence of the defendant’s intent to bribe the President of Chad is, on the whole, much more robust in light of Gadio’s expected testimony." On September 24, a letter from May was disclosed: UN accredited executive of an NGO still in ECOSOC handed Deby of Chad $2 million in a box, for oil. This is the UN, which won't even audit this scandal. Guterres is corruption - and on September 26 even banned Inner City Press which reports on this from a human rights event. We'll have more on this.

September 24, 2018

UN Guterres Said Inner City Press Made Hostile Environment For Diplomats Now Says No Input from Diplomats

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker

UNITED NATIONS GATE, September 17 – How arrogant and counter-factual a self-styled world leader is has been revealed in the Leader's contemptuous approach to freedom of the press and whose who even gently chide him on it, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner. No, this is not a reference to Donald Trump, but to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. On August 27 Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric answered a question on camera about Guterres banning of Inner City Press by saying that "the revocation of Mr. Lee's credential has to do with creating a hostile environment for diplomats." Vine video with over 1270 views here. But on September 17 Dujarric after trying to avoid or intimidate a question on the same topic said that the decision was by Guterres' Secretariat "without any input from any member state." Video here. So how did Guterres and Smale "know" that diplomats felt a hostile environment? Or was it Guterres who didn't like questions and coverage about his mis use of public funds for junkets to Lisbon, his silence on the slaughter in Cameroon and his son's now exposed business links in Africa? Someone is lying. We'll have more on this. The Nobel Peace Prize winner who has sought the reversal of Guterres' outrageous 56 day and counting ban on Inner City Press even entering the UN is Jose Ramos Horta of Timor Leste, still serving Guterres' UN, who told Inner City Press on August 27, "Dear Matthew I did reach the very inner sanctum of the UN system reporting on your case to no avail. Apologies but I don't know what else I can do." Later on August 27 an independent journalist asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric why things are not fixed with Inner City Press' access, since it "looks bad" given other attacks on press freedom. Video here. Dujarric tried to cut the journlist off, insisting to say this is about freedom of the press would be wrong. (Then why is it in the Press Freedom Tracker, here, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among others for example in the UK, Japan, Italy and Cameroon?) Dujarric changed the earlier reference to Inner City Press being in a "garage ramp" - something Guterres' Grand Inquisitor Alison Smale never asked Inner City Press about - to being in the "parking lot." (Inner City Press' pass worked to get there, many use it as a way to exit, and several senior UN official, anti-Guterres sources of Inner City Press ask to meet it and give it documents there. Maybe that's the reason.) Dujarric then said that Inner City Press creates a "hostile environment" for the diplomats, some times correspondents and always UN officials it covers. Seems clear the ban is entirely about freedom of the Press, freedom to question, and a Secretary General and vindictive team of holdovers who seek to retaliate against questions and coverage, including live streamed covering, with a lifetime ban with no appeal. Here is an example of Inner City Press' August 28 questioning at the Delegates Entrance, since Guterres and Alison Smale have banned it from the Security Council stakeout. Is this hostile?  Would Guterres, former NYT bureau chief Smale and former former Dujarric like to write Inner City Press' questions? Its articles? Perhaps to omit all refernce to Cameroon and what Guterres did and didn't do?September 17, 2018

In The Bronx Alessandra Biaggi Beats Klein Amid Bad Review of UN and US Mission Good for Tacos El Bronco II

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR PFTracker Scope

UNITED NATIONS, September 14 – In US politics, the upset in June by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of Joe Crowley for a House of Representatives seat in The Bronx and bits of Queens sent many to Wikipedia or Google to look up “Democratic Socialism.” On September 13 Ocasio-Cortez campaigned in The Bronx at least in some places for and with Alessandra Biaggi, taking on Jeff Klein for a State Senate.A flier supporting her said "Klein Vendio a los Neoyorquinos" on the "Ley de Votcion Temprana." Inner City Press, banned by the UN for the 72d day in a row, went to the Bronx intersection of Pelham Parkway and White Plains Road to cover Biaggi's campaigning, video here. And hours later Biaggi declared victory, 55-45, at the Bronx Ale House. She said, “This is because of every single one of you who were courageous, who saw a vision as well, who knew that we could not tolerate Democrats who would be empowering Republicans, that that was intolerable,” she said. “And we have now cut the head off the IDC snake.” Klein spent over $2 million in the race, while Biaggi had spent only $244,000 through the end of August, pursuant to state Board of Elections campaign finance disclosures.

Earlier, Ocasio-Cortez' press list was told to expect her at Pelham Parkway between 4:30 and 5 pm. Inner City Press went, banned from the UN now for the 72d day in a row for covering the corruption on Cameroon and elsewhere of Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Up on under the El train on White Plains Road the reviews of the UN and also the US Mission to the UN weren't very positive. But where was Ocasio-Cortez?

   Biaggi's volunteers handed out her laminated flier at the stairs up to the 2 and 5 train tracks. A couple arrived in a car with a small sound system. But still no Ocasio-Cortez. Finally Biaggi appears, speaking with people on the sidewalk and heading south toward Lydig Avenue.

Inner City Press did too, launching the Periscope live-stream which the UN cited in banning it for life, and on which the US Mission's Nikki Haley, a one time governor of South Carolina and seeming to want more, refuses to answer. One hopes those who now represent not only this district but areas like it can push to get from the UN less corruption, or at least an end to censorship. Politics retail and wholesale, immunity by the pound. At Tacos El Bronco II they serve them for two dollars, with big green onions. They get this reporter's vote. Watch this site

This was Ocasio-Cortez' schedule:

10:00 AM - Parkchester South Condominium, 2059 McGraw Ave, Bronx, NY 10462 (Ocasio-Cortez will cast her ballot)
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM - PS 019 Marino Jeantet, 98-02 Roosevelt Ave, Corona, NY 11368 (Ocasio-Cortez will be joined by Zephyr Teachout and Jumaane Williams)
3:45 PM - 4:00 PM - Westchester Square
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM - Pelham Parkway
5:15 PM - 5:30 PM - PS 069, 560 Thieriot Ave, Bronx, NY 10473
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM - 46th Street/Bliss Street Station on the 7 Subway Line
7:15 PM - 8:15 PM - PS 122, 21-21 Ditmars Blvd, Queens, NY 1110September 10, 2018

UN of Guterres Says Trump's USUN and UK Request Ban of Inner City Press So FOIAs Filed

By Matthew Russell Lee, Letter PFT Q&A Haley

UNITED NATIONS GATE, September 6 – How arrogant or out of touch a self-styled world leader is has been revealed in the Leader's contemptuous approach to freedom of the press and whose who even gently chide him on it, including a Nobel Peace Prize winner. No, this is not a reference to Donald Trump, but to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, including as represented by his Franco-American spokesman Stephane Dujarric. And now Inner City Press is told that Guterres is cynically trying to recast his 65 days of censorship as being based on a request FROM the Trump Administration, or at least Trump's UN Mission to the UN and its ally, the UK. A UN Correspondent who sought as many have to get the ban on Inner City Press lifted at least from the upcoming General Assembly week has said, in writing: "I spoke with Stephane the other day and unfortunately your situation remains unchanged. The case against you is based on complaints from the US & UK Missions... I have tried to get you a waiver for the UNGA week but Security remains firm in their refusal." So, the answer is that Guterres ban on Inner City Press -- which began on July 3 right after I spoke with Cameroon's Ambassador -- is now based on questions I have asked the US Mission's Deputy Ambassadors including Jonathan Cohen and UK Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen at the Delegates' Entrance AFTER I was already banned. There was also serial questioning of Guterres and UK Permanent Representative Karen Pierce in front of IPI on July 20, Periscope video here. In fact, all of my questioning of the US and UK Missions, and all other Mission, is online on Periscope, full archive here. It is no different that the questions hurled at Trump. But there, the First Amendment applies. At the UN, it seems, an already censoring Secretary General can claim to get subsequent support from... Trump and his Mission. See 6 September 2018 question put to US Ambassador Nikki Haley, here. Inner City Press had already submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the UK government, after statements by UN (British) Under Secretary General Alison Smale. Now today a US FOIA request has been filed to the US State Department in Washington:

"On behalf of Inner City Press and in my personal capacity as its United Nations bureau chief, Matthew Russell Lee, pursuant to the federal Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 for the following information: 1) Most pressingly, any and all record reflecting communications by the US Mission to the UN or its personnel to the UN concerning Inner City Press or me, including but not limited to my questioning and broadcasting on Periscope of and concerning such personnel; and 2) any and all record reflecting communications by the US Mission to the UN or its personnel to the UN concerning Inner City Press or me from January 1, 2017 to the date of your response.    This request, particularly (1) above which can and should be treated separately, should be afforded expedited treatment. I have today been informed that my banning from the UN, including prospectively from covering the UN General Assembly High Level week as I have for 11 years and for which I submitted a timely application on Sept 3, is based on complaints by the US Mission to the UN, who officials I have questioned in a journalistic capacity since July 5. Such a complaint would impinge on my First Amendment rights, and threatens imminent irreparable harm. Expedited treatment must be accorded.  If this request is denied in whole or part, please provide the basis for each such denial or deletion by reference to the specific exemption of the Act which you assert is applicable. Request for All Portions of Material for Which No Exemption to Production is Claimed Please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material. We reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information... I am requested expedited treatment of the request for all USUN communications to the UN about Inner City Press or me since July 3, 2018 due to such communications being cited as a basis to ban me from covering the UNGA High Level week beginning September 24 - the US Mission is being called responsible for the ban and it is imperative to prove or disprove that before then, asap, before irreparable harm including to First Amendment interests takes place." ["Your request has successfully been submitted."] Watch this site.September 3, 2018

UN Guterres Justifies Censorship With Lies Like That Inner City Press Shouted at Smale's Building But Has Never Been There

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, CJR Letter PFT, Video

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 31 – Before Inner City Press was roughed up by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Security on June 22 and July 3, 2018 and under a ban on entry since then, made "permanent" by Guterres head of Global Communications or censorship Alison Smale on August 17, it insistently asked about Guterres' conflicts of interest, for example with murderous Cameroon chairing the UN Budget Committee where Guterres sought support or with the business interests of his family, as for disclosure of how many of Guterres' publicly funded trip took him through his real home, Lisbon. (The answer, with no UN help, is at least 14.) Now on August 31 Inner City Press has been informed of some of the intentional mis-information Guterres and Smale are trying to use to justify their censorship of the critical Press. Two senior UN officials who are privately outraged at what Guterres is doing, one calling Guterres "arrogant" and the other "abusive," both recount hat  supporters of Guterres are spreading the rumor that Inner City Press "went to the apartment of Alison Smale and shouted at her." We've heard that from others as well. It is an outright lie, not nearly the first by the team of Guterres, Smale and Dujaric. First, Inner City Press doesn't even know, or want to know, where Smale lives. Second, while Inner City Press several times tried to explain to Smale that her total failure to implement content neutral accreditation and access rules (and rather hob-nobbing with now retired correspondents of or before her era) would lead and has led to shameful censorship, Inner City Press never raised its voice, even when at the Russian Mission to the UN Smale's pianist husband Sergei Dreznin told Inner City Press it would always be targeted until it wore a suit. (For now, he will presumably have access during GA week to the UN, where he played back up piano, while Guterres through Smale bans Inner City Press which actually covers the UN, Yemen, Myanmar and (Guterres wishes it wasn't so) Cameroon.. So the UN of Smale and Guterres, now on his way to China after refusing to answer why Inner City Press is banned, is powered by lies - is it any wonder that no conflicts have been prevented? In fact, Guterres poured gas on Biya's killings in Cameroon, staying quiet for his reasons(s) and sending the envoy Francois Lounceny Fall who equated separatists with extremists? We'll have more on this. Despite Smale's assuarces, Inner City Press' questions are not being answered by Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, and Guterres has had Inner City Press banned from the UN for life, by his Global Communicator Alison Smale who has failed to make even the minimal public financial disclosure called for under Guterres' predecessor Ban Ki-moon. Guterres' forms do not include the business interests of his direct children - but they should, see below.

On August 31, the 59th day Inner City Press has been banned from the UN by Guterres, there was nothing listed on Guterres' schedule until 4:30 pm: grip and grin photo op with the new Ambassadors on Armenia, Costa Rica, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sidhartha Francisco Marin Aráuz of Nicaragua. But at 1:10 pm some of Guterres many guards -- one, Lt Ronald E Dobbins, twice roughed up Inner City Press on June 22 (which Inner City Press wrote to Guterres about on June 25) and more so on July 3 - showed up telling other cars including diplomats' cars where they could and couldn't park on 46th Street. Soon fully three black 4x4s pulled up in front of the restaurant Aretsky's Patroon, which recently hosted Hillary Clinton. Out stepped Guterres and UN President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak, who disclosed a 1:15 pm appointment with Guterres. First (silent) video here.  An hour and a half later, Guterres emerged with his chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti and with Miguel Graca. Inner City Press asked, calmly but audibly, why Guterres is banning it from entering to cover the General Assembly Week, which is has covered for 11 years, about what he has (not) done on Cameroon and on conflicts of interest related to his son's business links, first reported by Inner City Press. As is the Guterres way, he got into his limosine. Video here. By contrast the President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak listened when Inner City Press asked about access to the GA and seemed... well, we'll see and report.

Guterres, as is typically including on the business dealings of his son, did not even disclose his meeting with Lajcak. Guterres has shown such bias in having Inner City Prss roughed up and banned that Inner City Press has asked Lajcak, and will ask him and hereby his successor again, to take over the case and ensure Inner City Press can cover the upcoming UN General Assembly week. Lajcak's chief of staff says Lajcak is trying; his spokesman says "I discussed your letter with the PGA. Please know that he is personally sympathetic to your situation. He also continues to strongly believe that the UN should be as transparent as possible and that journalists should be able to do their work without hindrance.
At the same time, our practice here at the UN is for the Secretariat – not the Office of the PGA – to handle matters related to media accreditation and security. In that regard, we will continue to defer to the Secretariat in such areas. The PGA appreciates your interest in and coverage of the General Assembly. In that regard, from our side, we will continue to respond to your journalistic questions – whether you are inside or outside UNHQ. I look forward to our continued collaboration during the rest of the 72nd session." We'll have more on this As Inner City Press has now exclusively reported, Guterres' son Pedro Guimarães e Melo De Oliveira Guterres has been Manager of Planning and Control at PT Portugal since 2009, see here. And "PT Portugal has significant interests in telecommunications companies in Angola, Cape Verde, Namibia and São Tomé and Principe in Africa and in Timor-Leste in Asia," see US SEC filing here. (Guterres recently rebuffed, in an entreaty to stop banning Inner City Press, Time Leste's Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos Horta, here). Given that his father, as a UN Secretary General who has shown himself willing to stay quiet of the deaths of Anglophone Cameroonians to gain the support of Cameroon's Ambassador as chair of the UN Budget Committee, has and can impact on each of these countries, where are the clearly needed controls against conflict of interest? Inner City Press Periscop stand-up, here. As Guterres flies off for a business confab about Africa and China from September 1 to 4, complete with 100 businesses from Cameroon where Guterres is complicit in the crackdown, how is he recusing himself there and in New York (and Lisbon) from involvement in things impacting where his son's company does business and makes money? We'll have more on thisAugust 27, 2018

UN Guterres' Ban of Press Spun to IPS By Ex-IPS Haq Eviction Was to Change Reporting, UN Censorship Alliance

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter PFTracker

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 24 – After having covered the UN since 2005 for Inner City Press, and pursued stories of UN under-performance from Sri Lanka to Darfur and Haiti to Yemen and most recently Secretary General Antonio Guterres' failure and conflict of interest on Cameroon, at 4 pm on Friday August 17 I got a four page letter from Under Secretary General Alison Smale, formerly the New York Times' Berlin bureau chief. We've put the letter on Scribd here, Patreon download here. 

The letter informed me, without a single opportunity to be heard and offer rebuttal, that “your accreditation is hereby withdrawn pursuant to the Guidelines.” It cited what it called three previous warnings. But on further inspection there is no there, there. See below. It also claimed that Guterres' spokesmen would answer Inner City Press' e-mailed questions. But this it false. Of the fourteen question Inner City Press e-mailed to them, and Smale, and Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed and others on August 23 and 24, not one was answered. Not one. Including: "August 24-3: Given that Deputy Spokesman Haq told IPS “we respect his press rights, but we also want to respect other’s press rights. And some journalists feel their press rights have been impeded by his actions” - state, since this is the basis of me being banned, who these are, and how they feel their press rights have been impeded by my actions. Also all video and other evidence that Haq alluded to to IPS should be produced, today, since it is the basis of my being banned." Nothing has been provided, eight hours later, by Spokesman Stephane Dujarric who was drawing pay all day after having essentially ordered or passed on from his boss the order to rough up Inner City Press. From the IPS article: "Lee has been known for asking thought-provoking questions during daily briefings and at press stakeouts. He has reported on global conflicts such as those in Sri Lanka, Congo, Somalia, and others... However, the incidents with Lee started back in 2012, when he was warned by the DPI to treat his fellow journalists with respect." That's not the case. In 2012, the President of the UN Correspondents Association Giampaolo Pioli, who had rented one of him Manhattan apartments to one Palitha Kahona then unilaterally granted his request or demand for an UNCA screening of the war crimes denial film of the Sri Lanka government he represented at the UN, ordered Inner City Press to remove from the Internet its article about the conflict of interest. Inner City Press declined but offered to publish any response, at any length. Pioli and the UNCA board demanded removal of the article, and ultimately Inner City Press quit UNCA and co-founded FUNCA, the Free UN Coalition for Access. The UN claimed it was uninvolved - instead, then head of Accreditation Stephane Dujarric tried to condition Inner City Press' re-accreditation as a resident correspondent on more positive coverage of the Secretariat, specifically his fellow Frenchman Herve Ladsous, the head of Peacekeeping who famously said peacekeepers would rape less if they had more "R&R." So from 2012 it was the UN trying to strong arm positive coverage of its officials, and using the aura of "other correspondents" in UNCA as the leverage - making UN the UN Censorship Alliance.
  The article continues: "wo years ago, things changed: he was in an interpreter’s booth recording a closed-door meeting of UN correspondents, without their consent. Then, DPI’s Media and Liaison Unit (MALU) made the decision to downgrade his accreditation from “resident correspondent” to “non-resident correspondent”, which means he was deprived of his own office space, barred from going to the UN on weekends and prevented from staying late hours and restricted from some areas in the building. Although Lee believes this was “bogus reason” for the treatment he received, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary General, told IPS: 'Matthew has come up with his own version on his website. But in that case I know to be true what I saw with my eyes.'"
  What the IPS article - which we are appreciative of, including for getting these quotes - omits is that this supposedly closed meeting was in the UN Press Briefing Room, open to all journalists. And Haq, when he followed Dujarric in, reflexively took the side of the UN Censorship Alliance, saying of Inner City Press, "He lies a lot." Video here.  Is that appropriate, under Smale's rules of procedure?
  IPS continues, " It seemed that the change in his accreditation pass had no effect. “After that, the problems with his behavior did not subside”, said Haq.

[That is, the goal is taking Inner City Press' work space and giving it to no-show, no question Egyptian state media Akhbar al Yom's Sanaa Yousseff was to make Inner City Press behavior or reporting "subside." Note as the article didn't and perhaps didn't have to that Farhan Haq previously worked for IPS - that and his father are how he got his UN job - and presumably was a member of UNCA. We'd asked but wouldn't get an answer, if the past is any guide.]

IPS: "On June 22nd, Lee had to be removed from the UN premises as he stayed long after his accreditation permitted him, and on July 3rd, he was similarly found long after 9 pm within a restricted area of the complex. UN Security removed him from the premises, but he apparently resisted."

 As Inner City Press has told IPS, "noted for the record

I'm appreciative of the detailed article, but for the record: "On June 22nd, Lee had to be removed from the UN premises as he stayed long after his accreditation permitted him." It was 7:15 pm, Antonio Guterres had just given a speech, video here;

and

... "on July 3, he was similarly found long after 9 pm within a restricted area of the complex. UN Security removed him from the premises, but he apparently resisted." There is video, and an NYPD criminal report (UN hasn't waived immunity), " video here;

and finally (for now)

... "on July 3, he was similarly found long after 9 pm within a restricted area of the complex. UN Security removed him from the premises, but he apparently resisted." There is video, and an NYPD criminal report (UN hasn't waived immunity).

 And so it goes at the UN - there's more but that's it for now. On August 20, when the PressFreedomTracker.us belatedly listed Guterres' and Smale's roughing up and banning of Inner City Press, here, Guterres' spokesman Dujarric made it clear it is all about content. While insisting it is not about Inner City Press' "writing," he specifically cited Periscope broadcasts as a basis for the lifetime ban. That is censorship.  UN transcript here and below.

  But on closely inspection Smale's letter is even more ghoulish. After she for Guterres banned Inner City Press from entry from July 3 onward, in order to report on the UN Inner City Press had to seek answers other than at the UN Noon Briefing and UN Security Council stakeout position, from which Guterres and Smale also banned it. Inner City Press asks question in front of the UN Delegates Entrance, and has gotten about put online responses from, among others, outgoing UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid, Burundi's Ambassador, and on August 20, for example, a diplomat on the North Korea sanctions committee (whose chair Karel van Oosterom refused to comment) and UK Mission political coordinator Stephen Hickey (whose Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen also recently refused to comment.)

 This stakeout is where Inner City Press asks questions only because Guterres and Smale have banned it since July 3. But in her August 17 letter, Smale justifies the ban imposed July 3 with this post-July 3 interviews, and says that UNnamed member states - and somehow correspondents - have complained.

 Is that Dutch Ambassador Karel van Oosterom? UK Deputy Jonathan Allen? (We will FOIA.) Morocco, as with the retaliatory complaint Smale's MALU "passed on" to Inner City Press while admitting verbally it was frivolous but then using it to ban Inner City Press for life. This is Kafkaesque, and must be reversed. Smale in her August 17 banning letter writes, "We would also note your conduct at the entrances of the United Nations premises and nearby, including the use of profanities and derogatory assertions and language toward individuals accessing the United Nations, in close proximity to them. Video / live broadcasts of this are frequently published on the Inner City Press' website and other media platforms. This conduct gives rise to potential safety concerns for Member State diplomats, United Nations staff, and other individuals accessing United Nations premises, and are a matter of serious concern given the United Nations responsibility for the well-being of such individuals.
The conduct described above has generated multiple complaints to the United Nations from Member States, United Nations correspondents, as well as United Nations staff.”  We'll have more on this - requests under FOIA and otherwise have begun. Watch this site.August 20, 2018

UN Says Inner City Press' Accreditation Is Withdrawn In Kafkaesque Letter By Ex-NYT Smale

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR Letter The Hill

UNITED NATIONS GATE, August 17 -- After having covered the UN since 2005 for Inner City Press, and pursued stories of UN under-performance from Sri Lanka to Darfur and Haiti to Yemen and Cameroon, at 4 pm on Friday August 17 I got a four page letter from Under Secretary General Alison Smale, formerly the New York Times' Berlin bureau chief. We've put the letter on Scribd here, Patreon download here. 

The letter informed me, without a single opportunity to be heard and offer rebuttal, that “your accreditation is hereby withdrawn pursuant to the Guidelines.” Inner City Press had informed Smale, and Secretary General Antonio Guterres who is ultimately responsible for this, that Smale must recuse herself.

As part of its coverage of the UN in the past year I have heard from whistleblowers in Smale's Department of Public Information that she diverted funds intended for Swahili programming to her avowed focused, getting better coverage for Guterres particularly on social media.

But Smale did not recuse herself, and Guterres who refused my polite question to him on July 20 why this censorship was taking place and why he had been so silent as Cameroon killed Anglophones in the North-West and South-West regions of the country, did not make her recuse. Nor did he recuse himself, despite my timely request that the President of the General Assembly, and not the obviously conflicted Guterres and Smale, take charge of any review deemed necessary.

What is most troubling about the UN's August 17 dis-accreditation letter is how vague it is, and inaccurate the few times it gets specific.

The UN claims that on 3 July 2018 I “attempted to gain unauthorized access to a locked area of the UN.” But as I reported at the the time, and my Periscope video subsequently used by Fox News and The UK Independent shows, I was in the UN's much traveled Vienna Cafe. (Guterres' Assistant Secretary General Christian Saunders, whose involvement in a UN procurement scandal I previously reported, was also there: he oversaw the assault and the next day told me he doesn't like my articles.)

  On July 3 I was staking out -- that is, standing outside of - the UN Budget Committee meetings. In fact, I had been informed of the meetings by UN personnel and diplomats had invited me down in order to tell me, as a reported, what was going on.

Ironically it was with Cameroon's Ambassador Tommo Monthe that I had just spoken when UN Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins and another officer who had still been identified by the UN approached me from behind, grabbed and twisted my arm, grabbed and damaged my laptop computer and tore my shirt. I recoiled and said, loudly, “I am a journalist, covering a meeting!” To Smale, this is incivility, enough to be permanently banned from the UN for.

Next, at the top of page 3 of the letter, Smale runs through a litany of supposed violations without providing any details, nor acknowledging that other correspondents more friendly to Guterres and her are allowed to do these things routinely. Smale pillories my “presence on UN premises outside authorized time periods as stipulated in the Guidelines.”

But those Guidelines, even as selectively quoted by Smale at the top of page 2 of her letter, make clear that I was permitted past 7 pm to cover an advised meeting - such as the July 3 UN Budget Committee meeting considering a $6.7 billion expenditure of public funds or the June 22 event in the UN General Assembly lobby featuring a speech in which Guterres bragged about fasting in Mali.

On June 22, not mentioned in Smale's August 17 letter but alleged as a “repeat violation” by Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq in a July 5 article, the same Lieutenant Dobbins and four Emergency Response Unit officers he summoned and then told not to give their names, pushed me out of the UN even as other non resident correspondents were allowed to remain in. There is video, here.

Days before that first roughing up of Inner City Press by UN Security but clearly green-lighted from higher up, Guterres' lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a person who tried to speak with him on my behalf to get the UN to stop requiring me to have a minder or escort as they have since February 2016 that things would be getting worse for me. It seems clear Dujarric knew about or had already ordered the physical targeting of Inner City Press any time after 7 pm, even if an advised meeting or Guterres speech was taking place.


August 13, 2018

As UN Shifts Review Of  Inner City Press Guterres Spokesman Takes Anonymous Charges As True But Stonewalled on Corruption

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR, 7/3 Video, Filing I II III

UNITED NATIONS, August 11 – Inner City Press on July 5 was told at the UN gate that it was banned from entering any UN premises, the day after it filed a criminal complaint against UN Security Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins and another for physically removing it from covering the July 3 meeting about the UN's $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget, as witnessed and essentially cheered on by Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Assistant SG Christian Saunders, tearing its reporter's shirt, painfully and intentionally twisting his arm and slamming shut and damaging his laptop. Video here. Columbia Journalism Review here.

Now on August 11, amid a 39 day ongoing “review” of Inner City Press that has shifted from the initial charge of being in the building too long on July 3 covering the Budget Committee meeting to undefined “harassment” of unnamed off the record correspondents, Guterres' spokesman Farhan Haq has told Fox News: “there have been a number of allegations from fellow journalists that Lee has harassed them over the years. 'A lot of journalists have not just been harassed but threatened by him and that’s a problem,' Haq said.”

   That last line is extraordinary. Without identifying a single one of these "lot of journalists," Haq declares their anonymous allegations to be true: "HAVE not just been harassed but threatened me him." This stands in contrast to the UN not accepting - in the case of Alison Smale and Stephane Dujarric, trying to not even acknowledge receiving - Inner City Press' written, on the record allegations complete with exhibits. It's called favoritism, and censorship.

  This same Farhan Haq recently answered one of Inner City Press' written questions, about why Guterres had taken no action on its documented exclusive May 24 report for which it received threats (and subsequent letter to Guterres and Smale) that through presumptive nepotism, management of the UN Security Council's website had been given to John van Rosendaal, the photographer husband of Kyoko Shiotani, the chief of staff of Guterres' Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, previously US Deputy Ambassador to the UN under Susan Rice and Samantha Power. Haq responded, "If there are allegations of misconduct they should be taken to the internal oversight offices and mechanisms. Unfounded allegations do not constitute a formal complaint." So how does Haq for the UN now deem anonymous allegations against Inner City Press not only as formal complaints, and as true?

    This is Kafkaesque. Inner City Press quit the UN Correspondents Association after finding it to be corrupt. Its president after having rented one of his Manhattan apartments to Palitha Kohona, who as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN accused of a role in the White Flag Killings, unilaterally granted Kohona's request to him to screen a Sri Lanka government war crimes denial film as an UNCA event, in the Dag Hammarskjold Library auditorium. This was done without approval of or even notice to all Executive Committee members of which Inner City Press was one. When Inner City Press reported on it, not only the UNCA president but only Committee members from Reuters, AFP and other outlets demanded that it take the article offline. Inner City Press offered the UNCA president as much space on Inner City Press as he'd want to reply, but he and UNCA wanted censorship, then as now.

   After Inner City Press quit UNCA, and faced counterfeit troll Twitter accounts and anonymous (but leaked) complaints to Guterres' now lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric from Lou Charbonneau of Reuters (now Human Rights Watch) here and censored from Google with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act here and Voice of America, here as obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, it has not spoken to these individuals since.

   Whatever claimed harassment or threatens they are claiming to or for the UN is not based on any actual interaction, only Inner City Press' articles and, it seems, equally First Amendment protected Periscope broadcasts, even one that was inadvertent and deleted but ghoulishly monitored and captured by or for the UN. (More on this soon).

  The simple point: it is illegitimate to rough up a journalist for covering a Budget Committee meeting then ban him from his beat pending a review of the incident - then invent new charges, with unnamed accusers and not opportunity to respond with an eye toward continuing the ban. So what's next? Watch this site.August 6, 2018

UN Tells RCFP Inner City Press Will Be Told In Coming Days Results of Review It's Been Heard Only Once On

By Matthew Russell Lee, CJR, 6/19 Video, Duj F-bomb

UNITED NATIONS, August 3 – Inner City Press on July 5 was told it was banned from entering the UN, the day after it filed a criminal complaint against UN Security Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins and another for physically removing it from covering the July 3 meeting about the UN's $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget, as witnessed and essentially cheered on by Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Assistant SG Christian Saunders, tearing its reporter's shirt, painfully and intentionally twisting his arm and slamming shut and damaging his laptop. Video here. Columbia Journalism Review here.

  Now on August 3, Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq replied to  the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press a week after RCFP called the vacationing Guterres' chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti to express concern at the ban and to offer to facilitate the restoration of Inner City Press' access (that call was returned by lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric, also now on vacation). Haq on August 3 said that the UN's "review" is nearly done, and he promised that Inner City Press will get notice of the results in the "coming days," with a reference to a "summary of the findings."

  But findings on what? For this investigation, Inner City Press in the 31 days has been contacted only once, for a Kafkaesque "interview" by two UN Security officers in a windowless room in the basement of the UNITAR building across from the UN. The officers refused to write down even Inner City Press assertion that Dobbins has animus, given an investigative piece Inner City Press had published using documents leaked to it showing irregularities in promotions in UN Security, including but not limited to Dobbins'.

 Since then, Dujarric who had initially said Inner City Press' reporter would be talking to various parts of the UN system shifted down to saying the investigation is only by the Department of Public Information. That means no investigation of or accountability for UN Security roughing up Inner City Press. It also involved a Department whose leadership Inner City Press has questioned for its lack of content neutral accreditation and access rules essentially investigating itself, without even the pretense of due process for Inner City Press which has not been contacted.

   Who is conducting the review? DPI chief Alison Smale, who has ignored Inner City Press' emails and 5000+ signature petition since she took office 11 months ago, is on vacation. The Officer in Charge is Hua Jiang, who work for the UN in Sudan where Orwellian investigations are the rule; Ms. Jiang refused to answer Inner City Press' questions, What am I being investigated for? Ms  Jiang  also previously threatened Inner City Press' accreditation if it did not take down a sign for the alternative Free UN Coalition for Access off the door of the office she and DPI evicted Inner City Press from in 2016, awarding it to an Egyptian state media whose essentially retired correspondent rarely comes into the UN and hasn't asked the UN a question in a decade. (But no investigation of that.)
 
   What could DPI be investigating? Haq said Inner City Press was charged with two offenses, being in the UN on June 22 and July 3. But why was Inner City Press in the General Assembly Lobby on June 22 at 7:15 pm? There was an event listed in the UN Media Alert at beginning at 6 pm. But Antonio Guterres did not arrive until 6:45 pm for this speech. The Access Guidelines say non resident correspondents can remain in past 7 for an advised meeting and one hour after. So Dobbins had no right to push Inner City Press out on June 22. But he did, and Guterres and DPI's Alison Smale and the others Inner City Press wrote to on June 25 did nothing about it.

  Why did Dobbins and his unnamed colleague use force, before talking, on July 3?

 Why was Inner City Press in the building at 10 pm on July 3? There was a meeting of the UN Budget Committee, advised to Inner City Press, exactly the type of meeting has covered for ten years including the last two as a non resident correspondent (reduced to that status for pursuing the Ng Lap Seng / John Ashe UN bribery scandal into the UN Press Briefing Room). In fact, Inner City Press many times been thanked for its coverage of such budget meeting, not only from around the world but by UN staff and diplomats in the New York area. "It's the only way if know if we'll have to come in for vote in the General Assembly," one said. DPI only puts the meetings in the Media Alert if there is a vote - contrary to its policy of listing UN Security Council consultation even if there is no vote -and there is no way to know, at 10 pm, if agreement will be reached at 2 am and a vote taken thereafter. These are things DPI should have asked Inner City Press about, if it has any thought of rendering another censorship decision. These are the ground Haq and Dujarric listed, later adding vague civility, with Dujarric misreprentating the number of times and location Inner City Press dropped the "F-bomb" (once, in the soundproof focus booth). Dujarric has dropped multiple F-bombs in the Briefing Room. And UNCA President Giampaoli Pioli at the UN Security Council stakeout loudly called Inner City Press an "as*hole." DPI was told of it, with audio here, and did nothing. Just as DPI's MALU told Inner City Press it could livestream Periscope video on the third and fourth floors, and all of the second floor except through the turnstiles, without an escort or minders. And as to 7 pm, other non resident correspondents routinely stay past that hour not even working  like Inner City Press but, as for example on June 26, drinking with Guterres. So it would be illegitimate to act on Inner City Press' "incivility," particularly without having given it any opportunity to be heard, in 31 days, on this or anything else they might pretextually come up with. We'll have more on this. Watch this site.July 30, 2018

As UNSG Guterres Bans Inner City Press 24+ Days His Spox Hopes Kafka Probe by GA and Goes on Vacation

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video Petition Q&A 2d, Q&A2

UNITED NATIONS, July 27 – Two weeks after banning Inner City Press from entering the United Nations, which has closely and critically covered for a decade, UN Under Secretary General Alison Smale for the first time deigned to explain in writing her basis for the ban, or suspension of privileges, see below. She alludes to "relevant facts" without detailing any of them, and ghoulishly claims that to say loudly "I am a journalist" when a UN Security officer is twisting one's arm is uncivil. After writing them she set off on a three week vacation. On July 25 Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric was asked, on camera, "Any update on the status of Matthew?" Dujarric replied, "Nope.  When there is, he will know and you will know.  On that note, au revoir." But since a single Kafkaesque interview by UN Security officers Raughn Perry and Valentin Stancu 17 days ago, Inner City Press has heard nothing. On July 26 Dujarric said the "investigation" is by the Department of Public Information - that is, that the UN is not even PRETENDING to look into its UN Security officers' assault on Inner City Press. From the UN transcript:  "regarding the investigation of Inner City Press.  What I'd like to know is, who is going to make the final, final decision on the disposition of that case?  Is it going to go up… all the way up to the Secretary-General, to the head of global communications, head of security?  Can you tell us?"

Spokesman:  "It's an issue of press accreditation, and it is being handled by the Department of Public Information." This is a cover up.  A call went in to Guterres' chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti from media freedom advocates - and was returned by Dujarric (we'll have more on this). On July 27, Dujarric was asked again. From the transcript: Question:  You mentioned an Inner City Press investigation going on under… through the system.  Is there a separate investigation going on from the point of view of the accusations of… of a member of the UN press corps being roughed up or is that all under the…?

Spokesman:  That’s all being… everything is being looked at as one.

Question:  Sorry, can I just… do you expect that to be wrapped up by the General Assembly debate?

Spokesman:  I would very much hope so.

Question:  [Inaudible]

Spokesman:  No, I’m waiting for words to be given to me and then…" Dujarric, like Guterres for two weeks and Smale for three, is going on vacation, leaving the Press in the street. Watch this site. Smale wrote: “On two recent occasions, Mr. Lee violated th[e] Media Guidelines by attempting to access United Nations premises beyond the scope of his non-resident correspondent status and by confrontations with United Nations Security and Safety officials. While you have characterized these confrontations as being unprovoked, the relevant facts do not support that characterization. Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned Media Guidelines:

'Where unexpected circumstances arise, the approach will be to avoid confrontation, maintain civility and find the fastest, safest and most secure acceptable solution. Those Correspondents who violate the ground rules governing access, including the abovementioned standards of ethical behavior may have their accreditation withdrawn or suspended by the United Nations.'

As a result of Mr. Lee's recent actions in violation of the Media Guidelines and his unacceptable comportment when dealing with United Nations Security and Safety officials, Mr. Lee's privileges of access to the premises of the United Nations as a non-resident correspondent have been suspended. These privileges of access will remain suspended pending a review of this matter to determine what further action, if any, should be be taken with respect to such privileges.”

With the ban on Inner City Press now hitting three weeks, and Smale having left on a three week vacation, there is much to be said about her reasons. First, in other of the two occasions, Inner City Press was within the Guidelines, which state that “Non-Resident Correspondents can access UNHQ through the Visitors’ Entrance at 46th Street and 1st Avenue between 0800-1900 hours from Monday through Friday. Non-resident Correspondents only have access to UNHQ on weekends or after hours accompanied by a resident correspondent or when a meeting is advised as taking place. Entry will be allowed two hours prior to the start of the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the non-Resident correspondent must exit the premises within an hour, unless accompanied by a resident correspondent.”

On June 22 Inner City Press was pushed out of the UN by UN Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins, irregularities in whose promotion Inner City Press has reported on in a previous years, based on a UN Security e-email leaked to it, through the General Assembly lobby in which it was covering an event, listened in Smale's Department's Media Alert, which featured a speech by Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Dobbins called in four Emergency Response Unit officers who refused to give their names when Inner City Press asked.

On July 3 - after Inner City Press has complained in writing to Guterres about its improper ouster on June 22 including Dobbins' animus and the ERU officers' refusals to give their names - Dobbins and other still unnamed officer assaulted Inner City Press as it was covering a UN Budget Committee meeting, announced or advised to it by the UN Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly. The meeting concerned Guterres' $6.7 billion budget and proposed moving of UN jobs from New York to Mexico City, Uganda to Kenya and Geneva to Budapest. Inner City Press' reporter's laptop was smashed into his backpack, damaging it. His shirt was torn and his arm was pulled, then twisted.

Most ghoulishly, Smale's July 19 explanation to the Government Accountability Project claims that if a person being thus assaulted by UN Security speaks up, saying loudly “I am a journalist!” they are being uncivil, justifying a suspension of entry for three weeks and counting.

The “review” that Smale cites has included in these three weeks, as to Inner City Press, a single one hour interrogation on July 10 in a basement room across from the UN by UN Security officers Raughn Perry and Valentin Stancu. Perry asked questions, only about the July 3 ouster and refused to include in his write-up Inner City Press allegation of retaliatory animus by UN Lieutenant Dobbins or that Inner City Press had informed Guterres (and Smale) of it on June 25 before the July 3, making each of them partially responsible.

In the two weeks since that “interview” by UN Security, nothing, and not only Smale but also Guterres has gone on vacation, with his Spokesman now three times refusing to answer Inner City Press' written questions as to where, and how much the public is paying.

July 23, 2018

UNSG Guterres Had His Guards Rough Inner City Press Up Then Banned It As Heads On 2 Week Vacation of Corruption

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video Petition 2d, Q&A2 SG

UNITED NATIONS, July 20 – Inner City Press on July 5 and since was banned by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres from entering the UN, the day after it filed a criminal complaint against UN Security Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins and another for physically removing it from covering the July 3 meeting about the UN's $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget, as witnessed and essentially cheered on by Guterres' Assistant SG Christian Saunders, tearing its reporter's shirt, painfully and intentionally twisting his arm and slamming shut and damaging his laptop. Video here.  Now Guterres, with Inner City Press still banned pending a Kafkaesque investigation of his own guards' abuse of the press, has set off one a two week vacation, while his chief of censorship Alison Smale has left for three weeks. This is today's UN.

  Guterres, it must now be noted, is the most elitist and abusive and even corrupt UN Secretary General in recent memory. Kofi Annan had many critics in the press, including Inner City Press at the end but for example James Bone longer term. But Annan never tried to use UN Security guards to beat up or evict James Bone. Ban Ki-moon evicted Inner City Press from its office for covering the Ng Lap Seng / John Ashe UN bribery case - but quickly offered a non-resident correspondent pass. Ban started an audit of Ng, which Guterres has refused to do of the more extensive and ongoing UN bribery of the China Energy Fund Committee.

It took Antonio Guterres to intentionally use UN Security to rough up the Press, twice in 11 days, and ignore a written plea for protection which Inner City Press e-mailed to him, his chief of staff, deputy and censor Smale on June 25. He doubled down, having the same UN Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins and an UNnamed thug on July 3, right outside the Budget Committee meeting on his illusory reforms, break Inner City Press' laptop, tear its shift and twist its arm. Then Guterres and Smale cites a vague rule negotiated with their UN Censorship Alliance to say that Inner City Press insisting "I am a journalist!" constitutes incivility justifying a ban from the UN while they take two and three week vacations. It is disgusting; we will have more on this.

On July 20, with Inner City Press still banned from the UN after 17 days with no end in sight, prohibited from attending the day's US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador Nikki Haley press encounter because it was in the UN, Inner City Press waited and politely asked Guterres and his chief of staff Maria Luiza Viotti why it is still banned after 17 days, for being roughed up twice by Guterres' Security. (After the first physical ouster on June 22, Inner City Press on June 25 notified Guterres, his chief of staff, Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed and Global Communications chief Alison Smale that it was being targeted by Lt. Dobbins; they did nothing.) On July 20, despite the quite audible questions including about related inaction on the slaughter in Cameroon which Inner City Press has asked about, Guterres got in his limousine and did not answer, as did UK Ambassador Karen Pierce. Video here.

The lack of accountability for censorship is growing: Guterres told his lunch companions "bonne vacances" and Smale has left on a three week vacation, bouncing back all e-mails with: "I am out of the office from 1.00 p.m. on Thursday, 19 July through Thursday, 9 August 2018. During my absence, the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Public Information will be as follows: 19-25 July - Mr. Janos Tisovszky.... 26 July through 1 August - Mr. Ramu Damodaran... 2-9 August - Ms. Hua JIang" [sic]." We'll have more on this. On July 18, Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq was asked by two journalists about the status of what he and lead spokesman Stephane Dujarric called the investigation of the "incidents" of July 3, and apparently not now of June 22. Video here, from the UN transcript: a follow-up to one that’s been asked here last week and the week before, and that’s a report on the current status of the investigation into the events on 3 July leading, ultimately, to the ouster, at least temporary ouster, of Inner City Press.  And did the Secretary-General receive any communications from any non-governmental organization (NGO) on… on this subject?  For example, I think it’s called the Global Accountability Project or something like that.

Deputy Spokesman:  The UN has received a letter from the Government Accountability Project, and I believe we’ll be responding to them in due course.

Question:  And… and the status of the investigation?  Could you…

Deputy Spokesman:  It’s ongoing... 2d Questioner: regarding Inner City Press, you said it’s ongoing.  Is there an idea of when… is there a date… any idea of when it’s actually going to come out and have a result?

Deputy Spokesman:  No.  I mean, once we’ve come to a decision, he’ll be informed of the decision." On what - the excessive use of force by UN Security? This is Kafkaesque - or now, Guterresian....

  Tellingly, six days after UN Security roughed up Inner City Press and four days after UNnamed official(s) instituted without any due process an ongoing ban on Inner City Press for having been roughed up, on July 9 Guterres' chief of Management, Saunders supervisor Jan Beagle, issued a self-serving "Administrative Instruction" which seeks to legitimate Dobbins' police brutality after the fact, and ensure it goes on in the future. The document is ST/AI/2018/8, here, and we will publish it in full: "Administrative instruction
Authority of United Nations security officers in New York Headquarters
The Under-Secretary-General for Management, pursuant to section 4.2 of Secretary-General’s bulletin ST/SGB/2009/4, hereby promulgates the following:
1. United Nations security officers function as agents of the Secretary-General to preserve order and to protect persons and property within the New York “headquarters district,” as defined in the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations. All persons within the headquarters district are expected to comply with the directions that may be issued by the security officers in the performance of their functions. Security officers are expected to exercise their functions with courtesy and in conformity with established rules and regulations, including applicable local law.
2. Security officers are authorized to search persons, vehicles, handbags, briefcases or packages in the performance of their official duties. They may also seize
property if they have a reason to believe that a person is carrying an unauthorized weapon, explosives or other dangerous substances or narcotics, or that property of the United Nations is being removed from the premises without authorization. Vehicles entering the premises will be subject to search by security officers on duty at entry/exit gates.
3. Refusal to comply with directions issued by the security officers within their authority may result in removal from or denial of access to the premises.
4. Subject to the provisions of the present administrative instruction, security officers are authorized, within the limits permitted by local law, to effect arrest, including the use of force, where the person to be arrested is committing or attempting to commit an offence or has, in fact, committed an offence.
5. Compliance with and application of the present administrative instruction in no way prejudices the duties, obligations and privileges of staff members.
6. The present administrative instruction shall enter into force on the date of issuance. It supersedes administrative instruction ST/AI/309/Rev.2 of 18 February 1997, which is hereby abolished." Why now? Again, watch the video. Jan Beagle, while purporting to stamp out sexual harassment for Guterres, has herself been formally accused of harassment while at UNAIDS with Luiz Loures and Michel Sidibe. Now this. How is behind the outrageous ban of Inner City Press for *being* roughed up by UN Security? Watch this site.July 16, 2018

UN Bans Inner City Press Then Tells UK Independent Claim of Targeting Is Ludicrous and Saunders Innocent

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video Petition Q&A 2d, Q&A2

UNITED NATIONS, July 12 – Inner City Press on July 5 was banned from entering the UN, the day after it filed a criminal complaint against UN Security Lieutenant Ronald Dobbins and another for physically removing it from covering the July 3 meeting about the UN's $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget, as witnessed and essentially cheered on by senior UN and British official Christian Saunders, tearing its reporter's shirt, painfully and intentionally twisting his arm and slamming shut and damaging his laptop. Secretary General Antonio Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told Fox News that the ban of Inner City Press is pending a “full review of the incident," which by July 9 Haq was calling an altercation - except only UN Security used force, before even talking. On July 12, The Independent (UK) via its US bureau chief Andrew Buncombe, covered the ongoing ban, reporting that "Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said it was 'ridiculous' to suggest Mr Lee had been treated as he had because UN officials were upset with his coverage.  He said many correspondents published stories that were embarrassing to the world body. He said a review had been launched into the manner in which Mr Lee had been removed and his future accreditation. He said Mr Mr Saunders was not involved in the decision to remove and had just 'happened to be there' the night Mr Lee was escorted out by security." These are such lies it's laughable. Even Al Jazeera, whose current in-house UN trio Dujarric has earing out his hand are given private briefing, the UN went after the sole Al Jazeera (then) reported who asked about Haiti cholera. Christian Saunders, as Inner City Press has reported, was implicated in procurement corruption and after the ouster came and told Inner City Press he doesn't like its articles. Dujarric himself, after manipulating a "press conference" without Press, disgustingly gave Inner City Press a thumbs-up on First Avenue. We'll have more on this. In the first visible step of the UN's self-investigation of the July 3 assault on the Press, on July 10 Inner City Press was interviewed for more than an hour by UN Security officer Raughn Perry in a windowless basement room of the UNITAR building across from the UN on 47th Street. Perry and his partner / witness Officer Valentin Stancu refused to include in what they typed and edited either the June 22 ouster of Inner City Press by Lt Dobbins and four Emergency Response Unit officers who refused to give their names, or Inner City Press' June 25 formal notification to Guterres, his deputy and chief of staff and Global Communicator Alison Smale that Inner City Press was being targeted by Dobbins based on an investigative piece it published about scam promotions in UN Security, including Dobbins' and others'. They would not include Inner City Press allegation of retaliation or vendetta, saying it was beyond the scope of their interview. They told Inner City Press not to make any notation to this effect on the statement they printed out, complete with mis-spelling of Cameroon, that it could submit that information later. But to whom? Their boss Peter Drennan has not acknowledged any of Inner City Press' e-mails to him, even those at the suggestion of Guterres' "Victims' Advocate" Jane Connors who kindly spoke with Inner City Press outside the visitors entrance and promised to appropriately forward what Inner City Press sent her, so far without effect. July 9, 2018


UN Review of Practices It Authorized from Inner City Press Video in Hall to Working Late Is A Scam, Censorship

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Petition, Q&A, 2d Video

UNITED NATIONS, July 7 – Inner City Press on July 5 was banned from entering the UN, the day after it filed a criminal complaint against UN Security for physically removing it from covering the meeting about the UN's $6.7 billion peacekeeping budget, as witnessed and essentially cheered on by senior UN official Christian Saunders, tearing its reporter's shirt, painfully and intentionally twisting his arm and slamming shut and damaging his laptop. Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Farhan Haq told Fox News that the ban of Inner City Press is pending a “full review of the incident," calling Inner City Press a "repeat offender." This is false. By the UN's own written rules Inner City Press was authorized to remain and cover both the June 22 event in the General Assembly lobby at which Antonio Guterres gave a speech and the July 3 Budget Committee meeting, the existence of which was notified to Inner City Press by a UN Spokesperson. That Inner City Press can film and stream Periscope video in UN hallways, without a UN minder, has been communicated to Inner City Press by the UN itself, which told it no minder was required to film in the hall outside of the clubhouse the UN gives to the silent UN Correspondents Association. Inner City Press' work in the fourth flooor bullpen was authorized by DPI; its completing there its writing, often eight to ten stories a day, was open with nothing said by UN Security when Inner City Press left upon work's complete, through the Secretariat lobby and traffic circle guard booth. Lieutenant Dobbins on June 22 ignored the written rules and left Inner City Press without its laptop for three days. Dobbins and four officers who refused to give their names pushed Inner City Press right past multiple other non-resident correspondents. Their presence, then and on all other days, can be documented. With his partner on July 3, he grabbed Inner City Press laptop and Inner City Press' shirt was torn and arm twisted before any discussion. It was an abuse, and a set up. And banning Inner City Press for a review it has not even been contacted for, involving practices by Inner City Press that the UN has repeatedly authorized, is Kafka-esque or worse. Haq refused to answer Inner City Press questions about the review, saying contact the Department of Public Information whose Under Secretary General Alison Smale refuses to answer e-mails or petition, and the Department of Safety and Security, whose USG Peter Drennan also has a conflict of interest. Inner City Press published a leaked DSS e-mail alleging that Drennan “buried” a threat against then-UNESCO chief Irina Bokova, who ran against Guterres for the position of Secretary General. (She may now be in line to replace Prince Zeid as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, call it musical chairs). Drennan's response was to initiate an invasive investigation... of who leaked the e-mail to Inner City Press. He used public money to try to triangulate where the e-mail published by Inner City Press had been printed out. And now he has a role in deciding to ban Inner City Press from the UN compound preventing it from asking questions for two days and counting? This is a conflict of interest, the Kafka-esque UN that has grown worse under Guterres. Likewise, after Inner City Press exposed senior UN Security official Matthew Sullivan linking up with a group holding for-profit events in large UN meeting rooms, one ludicrously involving “GPS sneakers,” what happened next was Sullivan ousting Inner City Press from the photo booth over an open meeting about the cholera brought to Haiti by UN Peacekeeping. There's more - watch this site. On July 6, when Inner City Press went to the gate to ask politely if it could as before enter to attend the noon briefing and ask questions, it was told "No." Inner City Press reiterated its concern about censorship to Darrin Farrant, a staff member of Alison Smale of DPI who has not answered Inner City Press' six emails and petition; he said he would pass the concern along. We are waiting for an answer. At the day's noon briefing, unlike for most of his previous briefing, there were no questions at all for Brenden Varma the spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak. But, in the morning, Inner City Press had e-mailed Varma "two questions since I am banned from entering the UN: Since the PGA is using the term eSwatini, what is his comment on this: 'A pro-democracy activist in Swaziland has challenged the king's decision to change the country's name. In April, King Mswati III, one of the world's last-remaining absolute monarchs, unexpectedly announced he was changing the country's official name to the Kingdom of eSwatini. The activist, Thulani Maseko, argued in papers submitted to the High Court that the decision was invalid because there had been no prior public consultation.' Also, what is the PGA's comment on and action on UN banning Inner City Press from the UN on July 5, today and for the foreseeable future, after it was physically ousted from covering the July 3 meetings of the UNGA's 5th Committee? The issue has been raised, yesterday, to at least two members of his staff." At 4:52 pm, Varma replied with this: "As discussed before, none of these matters (country names, media accreditation, security at UNHQ) are matters for the PGA. I would have to refer to you to the Secretariat." And the Secretariat's spokesman refers Inner City Press to the Department of Public Information, whose chief Alison Smale has ignored six emails and a 5000 signature petition. Lajcak back in May 2017 told Inner City Press which asked about UN bribery, from Ashe now to Kutesa, There will be no secrets. That seemed to imply he would not stand by as an investigative journalist is ousted and banned from covering the GA. We'll see.July 2, 2018

In 1st UN Bribery Case Ng Lap Seng Is Denied Bail on Appeal As Argues UN Not Covered, Not Audited

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video

UNITED NATIONS, June 29 – Eight months after the UN bribery conviction of Macau-based businessman Ng Lap Seng, on March 30 the prosecution asked for a jail term of over six years and a $2 million fine. On May 11 Ng was sentenced to four years in jail, and ironically to pay the legal fees of the UN, which even under the prosecutors' press release he corrupted. At the UN, Carlos Garcia who facilitated Ng's bribes to Francis Lorenzo's family in the Dominican Republic was at the General Assembly stakeout at this month as exclusively reported by Inner City Press. Ng even after sentencing is still under house arrest, but that may end. After an oral argument on June 26 in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Ng's bid to remain even longer in his apartment on 47th Street was denied. “It is hereby ordered that appellant’s motion is DENIED, because he has failed to show that the district court clearly erred in its risk of flight determination,” the court’s order sys, and “It is further ordered that the appeal is expedited.” Ng's lawyer Paul Clement of Kirkland & Ellis claims that the UN is not the kind of "organization" Congress was talking about in the law prohibiting bribery connected to organizations that receive federal funds. So the UN can be bribed at will? The UN has no law against it, and current SG Guterres does not even order an audit of China Energy Fund Committee, the second UN bribery case which seems linked to the first - CEFC invited John Ashe to China as well. We'll have more on this.

And this: in the underlying Ng Lap Seng indictment there was a Co-Conspirator 3 who also bribed UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe. This CC-3 has now been identified as Chau Chak Wing by Australian MP Andrew Hastie, chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Hastie recently met with US authorities about espionage and foreign interference legislation, and said it was during those discussions he confirmed the "long-suspected identity of CC-3" as Dr Chau."The same man who co-conspired to bribe the United Nations president of the General Assembly, John Ashe," Hastie said in a speech in the Australian Parliament’s Federation Chamber. On May 22, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here, UN transcript hereJune 25, 2019