UN Volker Turk Collaborated in Banning Press Now He Blames Failures on DC Staff Say Quit

by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack

UN GATE, May 16 –  How corrupt and decrepit has the UN system become under Antonio Guterres, in this case due to Guterres? Today's example is again from the Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, to which Guterres appointed his unqualified crony Volker Turk more than two years ago.

 From OHCHR staff: Dear Mr Lee, The staff in OHCHR is demanding the resignation of High Commissioner Volker Turk, Guterres crony, deputy high commissioner Nada Al Nashif, corrupt chief of administration Kim Taylor and all the senior management.  Yesterday Volker Turk called for a townhall to explain the disastrous financial situation blaming the US and Donald Trump when the reality is that OHCHR already had a 60 million USD deficit in January 2025 due to ample mismanagement by HC, DHC and senior management the previous 2 years. Volker Turk gave no answers and Taylor and the new chief of operations, Maarit Kohonen, aggressively attacked staff who dared to ask what the plans are.

Even the staff committee is afraid of reprisals.  The reality is that there is no plan. The only plan is for the senior management to stay in Geneva giving jobs to their friends and cronies while firing staff and sending 900 of us to non-existing offices like Vienna (where Turk comes from) or Damascus.  The reality is that OHCHR senior management is crippled with corruption and nepotism (more to follow on this). While those responsible for resource mobilization are absent and not accountable (led by an invisible former UNHCR crony) the staff is spendable. Those in charge of resource mobilization have failed year after year but they are not accountable as they are personal acquaintances of Volker Turk and Nada Al Nashif. No one care about the impact of moving for the staff and our families. No one cares about engagement with member states or NGOs. No one cares about the UN human rights instruments. Senior management can threaten the staff but we are losing the fear to speak up. We care about OHCHR. Volker Turk and all his senior management must resign before they destroy OHCHR." This is the UN of Guterres.

Turk as a staffer on Guterres' 38th floor did nothing when his boss Guterres had the critical Press roughed up and thrown out. There has been no due process since, not even a response to Guterres' Melissa Fleming to a pro bono inquiry for Inner City Press from the law firm Quinn Emanuel. Some human righters.

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