Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un2death021708.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 17 -- Following the discovery of the dead body of a woman in her 40s on the South Lawn behind the UN Headquarters on Sunday morning, what appeared to be attempts to downplay the incident occurred throughout the day. Police tape which had surrounded where her body fell was taken down before the UN Security Council's 1 p.m. meeting about Kosovo. By early afternoon, the noticeable imprint on the lawn where she landed had been filled in with sand. UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe was quoted that the UN would not be disclosing the identify of the deceased, even after her next of kin were notified. Ms. Okabe issued a written statement that "a UN agency staff member died after falling from the 19th-floor of the UN Secretariat building."
While the term "UN agency" would tend to mean one of the funds or programs of the UN system, such as the UN Development Program or UNICEF, both of these agencies have their offices across the street from the UN Headquarters, not beside the East River where the body was found. An Inner City Press source who ventured to the 19th-floor found there rather dreary computer units entitled Systems Management Section and Service Co-ordination Section. Two staffers, there on a Sunday, confirmed that the deceased was a co-worker, but referred all other questions to a man they called their boss, who declined comment.
A photograph which Inner City Press is publishing today shows the body of the deceased with what appear to be bags taped over her hands, see www.innercitypress.com/IMG_4470.JPG
An earlier photograph, in which her body is covered by a blanket, shows a hand, clenched into a fist, not bagged. See, www.innercitypress.com/IMG_4457.JPG
A police source consulted by Inner City Press noted that sometimes hands are bagged to preserve any evidence of a struggle. When Inner City Press called the New York Police Department's DCPI at 1 p.m. on Sunday, the response was that a 44-year old white female was found at 8:09 a.m., and "no criminality is suspected at this time." The UN's statement, issued later, says that "at this time there is no suspicion of foul play."
While by all accounts this lack of suspicious continues and will continues, it seems fair to ask not only about the bagging of the hands, shown in the photo, but also what time the deceased arrives at the UN, and how this is known. There are public-record statements that she arrived early for work. The UN has an electronic pass system, whereby staff members, correspondents and diplomats swipe in and the information is recorded. As first reported by Inner City Press last April, in paragraph 27 of a little noticed resolution on the "security management system," the General Assembly "decide[d] that data related to representatives of Member States... shall automatically be deleted from the standardized access control system after... 24 hours." For anyone other than members of countries' missions to the UN, they can keep the data as long as they want, and apparently use it for any purpose whatsoever. But is it being used in this case?
In fact, one close observer consulted by Inner City Press wondered out loud about the lack of public information about this staff member and death in the UN's important computer unit. While consciously seeking to remain with the bounds of good taste and decorousness, silence from the UN, including as projected even after next of kin is notified, should and will be contested. Watch this site.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/un2death021708.html
(c) Inner City Press 2008, All rights reserved.
