UNITED NATIONS, April 16 – Amid much news in Tanzania, in February Inner City Press asked the UN about the government killing of NIT university student Akwilina Anwiline and the subsequent calling in of the Chadema opposition party. After a few days of questioning the UN expressed concern and said it was watching closing. Then nothing. Now the John Magufuli government is moving to charge bloggers and all online news sites and streamers $930, and to face fines of $2,200 if they "causes annoyance." It's the Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations 2018, here. At today's UN, they don't charge money - they just, for online journalism that causes annoyance, throw the journalist in the street (audio here), throw its laptop on the ground, and award its work space to a state media (in this case, Egypt's Akhbar al Yom, former UN Correspondents Association president Sanas Youssef) who never asks questions and rarely comes in. We'll have more on this. Back on March 27 Inner City Press asked again, about a new development - the detention of Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe and others - and the UN spokesman Farhan Haq repeated the same old statement, not updated, claiming to be watching closely. Video here. From the UN's transcript: Inner City Press: in [United Republic of] Tanzania, the… the national Chairman of the main opposition party has been arrested by the Government. And I know that, in the past, maybe it was you or Stéphane — I can't remember — has had some statements on Tanzania. Does… what does the UN think of this locking up the main opposition figure?
Spokesman: I believe we've… yes, I think we have expressed our concerns about this some time back. I would just refer you…
Inner City Press: I think this arrest is pretty new, not to…
Spokesman: Yes, but we've… but we had a wider concern about the situation that we expressed at the time, which I'm trying to find here. Oh, yes. We are following closely developments in Tanzania, and we would call on the authorities there to respect freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly." Following? Inner City Press on February 20 at the UN noon briefing put a question about it to the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who spo a lot about preventative diplomacy. But the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said only, "I had not seen those reports. I'll have to look into it and get back to you." Video here. Now on February 27, Inner City Press asked again, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I hope this question has been asked. In [United Republic of] Tanzania, an opposition parliamentarian, Mr. [Joseph] Mbilinyi, has been sentenced to five months in prison for defaming President [John] Magufuli. And I know that you'd said back on 22 February that the UN is calling for freedom of expression. Do you view the jailing of parliamentarians for being critical of the President as consistent with that? Spokesman: "I don't have the details of that particular case, but, clearly, people should have the freedom to express themselves in speaking about anything, including their political leaders." the UN is like a broken record that does nothing (except protect itself with immunity and censorship). Inner City Press asked Dujarric again at the February 21 UN briefing, video here (at end), UN transcript here: Inner City Press: You said yesterday that you were unaware of this killing of the university student and the subsequent calling in of opposition parties and sort of blaming them for what… and I guess I just wanted to know, there… there are many groups in… in [United Republic of] Tanzania they're saying things are getting increasingly repressive. What is the UN's position on this? Spokesman: I don't have any language on Tanzania at this point." The next day, without Dujarric or Guterres releasing anything, Inner City Press asked again, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I want to ask you again about Tanzania and then about Guinea. But in… you'd said yesterday that you had no language. Do you… is that looking down… Spokesman: I do have something… Inner City Press: Ah, language emerges. Spokesman: Language has emerged on Tanzania. And I can tell you that we're following closely developments in Tanzania, including the sad news of recent deaths of a local leader in Chadema, the main Tanzania opposition party, and of a university student who was travelling in a bus nearby a march by members of Chadema as they were being dispersed by the police. First, we would like to express our condolences to the families of the deceased and call on authorities to respect freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly." So they wouldn't have released even this unless asked again. Fear of being declared persona non grata again, failure of commitment. This too: it seems obvious that journalists should not be serving up the "delicacies" of those they purport to be covering. But at the UN, as with content neutral accreditation and access rules, that is thrown out the window. This month the UN Correspondents Association is partnering with Kazakhstan, whose new media law is called repressive and draconian, to distribute "national delicacies" every Tuesday and Thursday. Photo here. On January 5, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I actually have a different kind of press freedom question. I wanted to ask you. In [the United Republic of] Tanzania, the Government has fined a number of TV stations for simply reporting on a report by the legal Human Rights Centre about irregularities in an election and human rights abuses, and I'm wondering. I know it's one of the countries where the UN has a, you know, a country team, et cetera. Is the UN aware of that? Do they have any comment on the open fining of stations simply for… for reporting on human rights issues? Deputy Spokesman: "I don't have anything in particular on this, but we'll ask with our country team about that." Seven hours later, nothing. And no response from the UN Department of Public Information, whose chief Alison Smale was asked the simplest of questions. No answer, even as she suddenly promotes Kazakhstan stories. More on this to follow.
Spokesman: I believe we've… yes, I think we have expressed our concerns about this some time back. I would just refer you…
Inner City Press: I think this arrest is pretty new, not to…
Spokesman: Yes, but we've… but we had a wider concern about the situation that we expressed at the time, which I'm trying to find here. Oh, yes. We are following closely developments in Tanzania, and we would call on the authorities there to respect freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly." Following? Inner City Press on February 20 at the UN noon briefing put a question about it to the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who spo a lot about preventative diplomacy. But the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said only, "I had not seen those reports. I'll have to look into it and get back to you." Video here. Now on February 27, Inner City Press asked again, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I hope this question has been asked. In [United Republic of] Tanzania, an opposition parliamentarian, Mr. [Joseph] Mbilinyi, has been sentenced to five months in prison for defaming President [John] Magufuli. And I know that you'd said back on 22 February that the UN is calling for freedom of expression. Do you view the jailing of parliamentarians for being critical of the President as consistent with that? Spokesman: "I don't have the details of that particular case, but, clearly, people should have the freedom to express themselves in speaking about anything, including their political leaders." the UN is like a broken record that does nothing (except protect itself with immunity and censorship). Inner City Press asked Dujarric again at the February 21 UN briefing, video here (at end), UN transcript here: Inner City Press: You said yesterday that you were unaware of this killing of the university student and the subsequent calling in of opposition parties and sort of blaming them for what… and I guess I just wanted to know, there… there are many groups in… in [United Republic of] Tanzania they're saying things are getting increasingly repressive. What is the UN's position on this? Spokesman: I don't have any language on Tanzania at this point." The next day, without Dujarric or Guterres releasing anything, Inner City Press asked again, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I want to ask you again about Tanzania and then about Guinea. But in… you'd said yesterday that you had no language. Do you… is that looking down… Spokesman: I do have something… Inner City Press: Ah, language emerges. Spokesman: Language has emerged on Tanzania. And I can tell you that we're following closely developments in Tanzania, including the sad news of recent deaths of a local leader in Chadema, the main Tanzania opposition party, and of a university student who was travelling in a bus nearby a march by members of Chadema as they were being dispersed by the police. First, we would like to express our condolences to the families of the deceased and call on authorities to respect freedom of expression and the right of peaceful assembly." So they wouldn't have released even this unless asked again. Fear of being declared persona non grata again, failure of commitment. This too: it seems obvious that journalists should not be serving up the "delicacies" of those they purport to be covering. But at the UN, as with content neutral accreditation and access rules, that is thrown out the window. This month the UN Correspondents Association is partnering with Kazakhstan, whose new media law is called repressive and draconian, to distribute "national delicacies" every Tuesday and Thursday. Photo here. On January 5, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: I actually have a different kind of press freedom question. I wanted to ask you. In [the United Republic of] Tanzania, the Government has fined a number of TV stations for simply reporting on a report by the legal Human Rights Centre about irregularities in an election and human rights abuses, and I'm wondering. I know it's one of the countries where the UN has a, you know, a country team, et cetera. Is the UN aware of that? Do they have any comment on the open fining of stations simply for… for reporting on human rights issues? Deputy Spokesman: "I don't have anything in particular on this, but we'll ask with our country team about that." Seven hours later, nothing. And no response from the UN Department of Public Information, whose chief Alison Smale was asked the simplest of questions. No answer, even as she suddenly promotes Kazakhstan stories. More on this to follow.
It's that Kazakhstan is president of the Security Council this month, and UNCA is selling the correspondents it charges a hundred dollars to access, or the illusion of access, however it might appear. In November it was espresso served up by Italy, the country of UNCA's long time landlord president Giampaolo Pioli. Now, it's Kazakhstan. A new and peculiarly UN tradition, of sycophantry, is born.
