By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS & BEYOND, January 12 -- The UN has hit a new low. On January 9, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, “I am relieved that these terrorists have been killed by the authorities of the French government.”Video here.
On January 12, Reuters late-reported that "UN spokeswoman Vannina Maestracci said the organizationwelcomed Friday's decision” - the decision being one of impunity for the UN bringing cholera to Haiti and killing 8700 people and counting.
An organization which is “relieved” at killings and “welcomes” impunity for its own negligent killing calls for a different form of (new) media coverage than it is getting, and encouraging.
Ban Ki-moon's comments on the attack on Charlie Hebdo, and about his relief that the terrorist had been killed, were both to hand-picked groups of correspondents, not announced in the UN's Media Alert.
The Free UN Coalition for Access has protested, both on procure and substance.
In another telling new now, on January 12 Inner City Press put this question to UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq: “on DRC on the long-promised operation to neutralize the FDLR, now that the Luanda summit has been canceled, what is the hold up in MONUSCO and its FIB taking action?”
No answer was provided. UN Peacekeeping is run byHerve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to hold the position - and, significantly, one who while Deputy Permanent Representative in 1994 argued for the escape of genocidaires from Rwanda into Eastern Congo.
When Inner City Press began asking about that, Ladsous said “I don't answer your question,” and even blocked the Press' camera, Vine here. FUNCA complained, the UN's Censorship Alliance didn't; this is how the UN works, or doesn't. And so, something new. Watch this site.
