By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 31 -- On the final day of August a small drone was launched over the UN, climbing over the traffic circle and fountain over the 193, perhaps soon to be 194, flagpoles alining First Avenue.
Inner City Press photographed those who flew the drone, here andhere, then rushed to the traffic circle to check it out. Periscope video here. Inner City Press has previously covered UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous' stealth move into drones, see below, where Ladsous refuses to answer Press questions on drones and the growing scandal of peacekeeper rape.
In this case, Inner City Press was told the the drone flight was approved "by the FAA and the 17th Precinct" of the NYPD; by others filming it, Inner City Press was told this was for UN Television to film aerial footage for the UN's 70th anniversary celebration. Do the FAA and NYPD permit other such drone flights? We'll have more on this.
Can a UN Under Secretary General on camera refuse to answer questions about providing military support to Army units charged with rape, and about procuring drones without required approvals, by saying “I do not respond to you”?
On May 29, 2014 in the UN Press Briefing Room, Herve Ladsous the head of UN Peacekeeping did just that, telling Inner City Press on questions of rape and drones, “You know I do not respond to you, Mister.” Video here and embedded below.
Ladsous did it flanked by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric. He did it with no complaint or reaction from the similar head of the old UN Correspondents Association Pam Falk, who though arriving 15 minutes late was called on by Dujarric to lob a softball question before Inner City Press.
Agence France Presse was called on -- AFP invoked the UNCA machinery against an article Inner City Press published showing that Ladsous was not Ban's first choice for the job. UNCA's board demandedoutright censorship of an article about its president's conflict of interest, renting an apartment to a UN Ambassador.
Inner City Press quit UNCA and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access, which opposes Ladsous' picking which media to answer, and UNCA insiders for accepting this.
Afterward on May 29, 2014 Inner City Press asked Dujarric how this was acceptable. The question about Ladsous not applying Ban's supposed Human Rights Due Diligence Policy after only two Congolese soldiers were convicted of 130 rapes in Minova in November 2012, Inner City Press has asked Dujarric for weeks. He has still provided no answer, nor on Ladsous' drone procurement.
Dujarric pointed to a separate answer by USG Ameerah Haq, not on the rapes or drones but logistics in South Sudan. This was appreciated and may be separately reported. But Ladsous is bringing all of UN Peacekeeping down, not only other officials but the troops working in the field. We'll have more on this.
