Censorship Before UN Raid, Camera Shoved in Photographer's Face at UNFCCC in Durban, FUNCA on the Case

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 30 -- While the UN's raid on Inner City Press' office on March 18 was extreme, in that while Inner City Press was never notified other were allowed to photograph, including Pamela Falk of CBS, the president of UNCA and now it appears other UNCA “leaders,” there have been other UN crackdowns on the media.

  We have reported on photographs being ordered to be deleted inside the UN's Headquarters in New York. Even when raised by the Free UN Coalition for Access to the Department of Public Information, the only response has been DPI's Stephane Dujarric communicating to Aramark, the UN's cafeteria and tent contractor.

  Since the March 18 raid, FUNCA has been contacted by another photographer, Orin Langelle, about being roughed up by security the UNFCCC meeting in Durban: an “officer shoved my camera into my face to prevent me from documenting the detention and expulsion of a UN-accredited delegate that occurred on 8 December 2011.”

  Langelle wrote in, “Dear colleagues at Inner City Press, yesterday, it was brought to my attention the actions taken by the UN in invading your office. I am not a bit surprised. I am providing some links concerning an assault on me while I was on assignment for Z Magazine during the 2011 UN climate conference (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa. I find that the UN security and UN officials operate without any principles that the UN is supposed to uphold regarding the rights of media.”

The links largely speak for themselves. Langelle adds, that “on 9 December 2011, I witnessed members of the media being shoved up a staircase to prevent them from reporting the actions of UN security who were ejecting people protesting the failing negotiations near a high level plenary room. Shoving the media, or anyone for that matter, up a staircase is dangerous and people could have been injured. That was clearly an act of censorship and reckless endangerment by UN security.”

FUNCA's perspective is that the responsibility goes above the security or DSS officers. For the March 18, 2013, raid they were called in by the Department of Public Information. And DPI up to the highest level has so far refused to provide basic information: who did they let into the office, who took photographs and to whom did they give them? We will continue on this.

As UN 3d Committee Ends with Doggerel on Durban III, Budget Battle Looms

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 24, updated -- Amid doggerel about defamation of religion, Durban III and the death penalty, the UN's Third (Human Rights) Committee brought its work to a close on Tuesday night. After 11th hour amendments to the Durban resolution -- calling for a September meeting to commemorate the controversial September 2001 World Conference Against Racism, erased from most people's history by the attacks on the World Trade Towers -- among the Security Council's Permanent Five members, the UK and United States voted against it, Russia and China for it, while France abstained.

While some explanation seemed in order -- see update below -- the speeches after that vote and before the close of the session moved from South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and China to India for the Asian Group praising Committee Chair Tommo Monthe for suggesting they “fry the snake in the oil of the snake.” Alongside Finland's praise for the Vienna Cafe there were complaints about the frozen voting machines.

In an annual ritual, the UK delivered a doggerel poem complete with jokes about applying the death penalty to the session. Egypt responded in verse, slipping in lines about Durban and vilification of religion, asking what would be next, human rights and grocery shopping?

Monthe spoke last, awarding himself the gavel and his notes. The representative of Syria, leaving service on the committee, joked that Foreign Occupation would remain an issue close to her heart.

Down in Washington, incoming House powerhouse Ileana Ros-Lehtinen issued a press release calling on the US to “stay away from Durban III, deny it U.S. taxpayer dollars, and oppose all measures that seek to facilitate it.”

As the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairperson next year, the budgetary implications -- largely laughed off by the Committee on Tuesday night -- will become more serious. Watch this site.

Update: the French Mission to the UN's spokesman explains to Inner City Press that "On the Durban resolution, France abstained. There were many elements in the text that we couldn't support, but we support the Durban declaration and want to engage in the Durban process. Hence our vote."

UN Pitches Ban vs. Ahmadinejad on One-Way TV Screen, No Questions

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ban1durban042009.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 -- The UN's priorities were shown this Monday morning when a one-way video feed of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon denouncing Iranian president Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel preempted the UN's noon press briefing. Questions would not be taken, then, on the fire over the weekend in the UN compound in Darfur, more than 100 dead in South Sudan after the UN failed to increase patrols, a workers' strike against UNRWA in Jordan, nor the carnage in Sri Lanka.

A UN spokesperson explained that it would not be possible to be prepared on these other issues. Anyway, the spokesperson continued, reporters at the UN had expressed a desire to see the Ban briefing in Geneva, even if they could not ask any questions. This is the story today, the message was: Ban's outrage at Iran, for its comments on Israel.

What explains this seemingly disproportionate reaction? Some guessed it was Ban's attempt to put “deadbeat-gate” behind him, where he said the U.S. is the biggest deadbeat. Others said it was to make up for criticizing the U.S. and others for not attending the Durban review conference in Geneva (those countries were now saying, we told you so). Some journalists joked about throwing shoes or sandals at the one-way TV screen. “It's a new low,” said one wag. We will live-blog the proceedings, such as they are, in this space.

Update of 12:19 p.m. -- US Deputy Permanent Representative Alejandro Wollff came to the stakeout, primed to speak about Durban, and praised Ban's written statement. One of Ban's spokespeople watched from the riser: the sound was low because the UN Secretariat has allowed chaos in its UN TV service.

Update of 12:32 p.m. -- even with no stakeout going on, there are a total of two journalists in the briefing room, watching Ban answer two questions in Geneva, does he understand now why some countries didn't come? Ban's office said that “the reporters in New York” wanted it this way, no noon briefing, just the Ban presser. But this does not appear to be true.

Update of 12:40 p.m. -- In UN briefing room in New York, still only two journalists in the room, plus Inner City Press intermittently. Even the person from the President of the General Assembly's office has left. On screen, Reuters in Geneva is asking, is this a difficult day for the UN? That Ahmadinejad said what he said right after meeting with Ban... Ban calls it totally unacceptable, “destructive.” And some NGOs in the gallery, he says, along with some member states were not behaving in accordance with the rules and regulations. Hopes for disciplinary measures by conference president. What?

Update of 12:47 p.m. -- as Navi Pillay says she went to sleep on Friday telling herself, “job well done,” even the two other journalists have left. Pillay thanks Susan Rice for calling to cancel, digs at European countries which didn't even call. Fiasco on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, all other news preempted by the UN for an empty room. Bad instincts?

Update of 12:59 p.m. -- speaking of bad instincts, running out of the empty briefing room while Ban speaks on screen, Council president Heller's stakeout is already over, and the UN's Lynn Pascoe has, reporters say, canceled his stakeout about Fiji. Thus, the UN has said nothing today expect Ban (and Pillay) vs. Ahmadinejad. But Inner City Press is told that, seeing the briefing room empty, UN Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe came back and read out a statement on camera. No questions, just one-way communication. Oh but one question that Inner City Press asked up in the spokesperson's office is answered, sort of, by e-mail:

Subj: Your question on the UNRWA strike
From: unspokesperson-donotreply un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 4/20/2009 12:20:38 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

UNRWA says it is negotiating possible salary increases with its striking employees. But UNRWA also says its high budget deficit makes it hard to meet all their demands immediately. For any further information, please contact UNRWA.

And that was the question taken at, or in place of, the noon briefing. [Thankfully, Amb. Heller stopped in the hall and gave Inner City Press an answer on Sri Lanka that will be reported shortly.] Click here for a review of last week's performance, two misstatement and a run-around. 10-4, - 30 -

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1durban042009.html