By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 23 – After Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric at noon on May 23 questions about Secretary General Antonio Guterres' failure to even start an audit of the Patrick Ho / China Energy Fund Committee UN bribery case pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, and his role in the cover up of sexual harassment by the International Atomic Energy Agency's deputy in charge of the Iran Deal, it was stopped from re-entering the UN from 7 pm until 7:55 pm.
Then it was escorted in by a UN Security officer who stood over it as it packed up the laptop on which it was writing up the Spokesman's evasive answers.
Since the UN evicted Inner City Press from its long time UN work space for pursuing the first UN bribery case, that of Ng Lap Seng, John Ashe and Chau Chak Wing, it has been under a 7 pm curfew. This has been maintained, without explanation or response to 5000+ signature petition by Guterres' “Global Communicator” Alison Smale. Inner City Press must get back by that time to be allowed in.
But on May 23, First Avenue all around the UN was locked down for the visit of US President Donald Trump. Inner City Press would have been back by 6:45 pm but it was blocked for 15 minutes at 50th Street and First Avenue. Coming the other way, just before the blockage, was UN official Hua Jiang, a Smale subordinate who has defended the restrictions on Inner City Press. At 7:01 pm, the UN's gate on 46st was still open. But a UN Security officer told Inner City Press, Go to 42nd Street entrance, they'll let you in no problem.
They did not. One officer said, No way we're letting you in. Another, characterizing it as a favor, called the Department of Safety and Security office. Whoever first answered there said No, do no let him in. Inner City Press has previously reported on DSS chief Drennan “burying” a report about Irina Bokova - who has Inner City Press exclusively reported this week has quietly been retained on a “dollar a year” contract with immunity by UNESCO.
Inner City Press began a short Periscope broadcast. The Under Secretary General for Sexual Violence in Conflict expressed sympathy. The Under Secretary General for General Assembly and Conference Management Catherine Polland laughed. A corporate wire service journalist said she would go get Inner City Press' laptop but she was late to an event. A sometimes Morocco state media journalist, sometime UN staff member, expressed sympathy, but...
Inner City Press' phone battery went critically low and it ended the Periscope broadcast. The UN Security officers let into the building people without checking their IDs, for some event. After fifty minutes another officer came. He would escort Inner City Press in and stand over it while it collected its computer, and then ensure that it left. Inner City Press complied, set up in the park across from the UN and wrote this article.
