On Bangladesh, Inner City Press Asked UN of Executions, Response Is Only Canned Death Penalty Statement

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 23 -- Amid the violence in Bangladesh in February and March of 2015, Inner City Press five times asked the UN how it reviews whether the military personnel it uses from Bangladesh have not been involved in human rights violations. February 5 video;  UN's February 20 transcript; February 23 transcript, video here. 

On November 23, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here, transcript here:

Inner City Press: in Bangladesh, there were this pretty high-profile executions of two opposition leaders.  Many people are saying it will lead to violence, and I’m wondering, does the UN have any response, comment on it?

Spokesman:  Obviously, the Secretary-General… we’ve all seen the executions that took place over the weekend of two people.  I think it’s clear that the Secretary-General opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and has called for those countries that continue to use it to at least initiate a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Inner City Press:  All right.  But no… I mean, I know that there… previously there was some DPA (Department of Political Affairs) interaction with Bangladesh.

Spokesman:  That’s what I have.

 On April 20, after UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Pollyanna comment on April 3, below, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about attacks on the opposition party, video here,transcript here

  On April 22, Dujarric returned with this answer to Inner City Press:

"I was asked a number of times about Bangladesh and reported attacks on the motorcade of the leader of the National Party, Khaleda Zia.  We are aware that the responsible authorities are investigating the incidents.  The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal for transparent, inclusive and credible elections, which are only possible in a secure and safe environment for campaigning. "

 On April 20, Inner City Press' question had been:

Inner City Press:  On Bangladesh, I know that the statement you said about the local elections, and now Khaleda Zia's convoy has been attacked and the BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] has called for a nationwide whatever, you know, halting of transportation.  So, is there a UN role at all in trying to either defuse this or…?

Spokesman:  I will follow up and see what there is.

  Then two days later, an answer.

  Back on April 3, without ever providing an answer from Herve Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping, which has taken to shooting at civilian demonstrators in Mali and Haiti (and not answering about it, video here,Vine here), UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon served up this upbeat comment:

"The Secretary-General welcomes the de-escalation of violence in Bangladesh in the past weeks. He is also encouraged by the opposition’s decision to participate in the city council elections for Dhaka and Chittagong, scheduled for 28 April. The Secretary-General appeals to the authorities in all relevant institutions to ensure that the elections will be transparent, inclusive, and credible.

"The Secretary-General hopes that political parties will soon find a way to overcome their differences for the sake of the country’s long-term development and stability. The United Nations remains fully committed to supporting Bangladesh in this regard."

 Back on March 12 amid reports of the disappearance of the BNP spokesman Salah Uddin Ahmed, Inner City Press asked about him.Video here. " Given the calls from this podium to de-escalate what the response is and whether there have been any further efforts to get either Mr. Taranco or others to the country?"

Spokesman Dujarric:  I don't have an update beyond reiterating what we've said here for political dialogue and for de-escalating the tensions in Bangladesh, but I will try to get you some more.

  Seven hours later, there was nothing.

   Inner City Press also asked the IMF on March 12:

On Bangladesh, Mr Cubero said “should calm be restored and uncertainty abate, growth should strengthen to 6½ percent in FY16.” Does the IMF believe that the government's crackdown  is the way to restore calm or another approach should be used?

After the IMF's embargoed March 12 briefing, an IMF Spokesperson provided this to Inner City Press on Bangladesh:

"Our most recent press release summarizes our views on the economy and the near-term outlook – we would not comment beyond that.”

  Oh.

On March 11, Inner City Press again asked about the peacekeeping issue, video here, transcript here:

Inner City Press: I wanted to ask you about Bangladesh.  There are several police units, some of whom I've asked you about, the Rapid Action Battalion and others, have publicly said that they want to repeal a law, a ban against torture of people incarcerated, because they've been accused of torture.  And I wanted to know whether this is the type of thing that would catch the attention of DPKO given that it has employed numerous officials of these very units, in a variety of peacekeeping missions.

Spokesman Dujarric:  I have not seen that report.  I think the Secretary-General's position is… principled position is obviously against torture and for Governments and States to sign on to the various Conventions against torture and to uphold that international law.  If I have anything else from DPKO, I will let you know.

  Nine hours later, there was nothing. The head of UN Peacekeeping,Herve Ladsous, has a history, including of not answering press questions.

  Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access have also asked about freedom of expression in Bangladesh - and relatedly at the UN, when a journalist asking questions at the UN had his media blocked back in Bangladesh.

  While the UN Spokesman replied that he had spoken with the journalist in questions -- which was not the point -- from elsewhere in the UN to the request for action, no response. Now the journalist and four colleagues have had their accreditations pulled.

 Inner City Press on March 5 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric if the UN had any involvement in a statement urging de-escalation issued by a group of Ambassadors in Dhaka. I am not aware that we have any involvement in that, the UN Spokesman replied. Video here. Why not?

  Why didn't UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, who spent days in Myanmar then Sri Lanka, make a push to visit Bangladesh at this time? Did he? His office has not answered questions about his Sri Lanka trip, but Dujarric says he will answer questions on March 6. Only about Ukraine? Watch this site.

  The UN makes many vague and grandiose statements about its commitment to freedom of the press. But when a journalist who asked questions at its noon briefing about Bangladesh had his family's house in Dhaka visited by the authorities, and his media's website blocked, what did the UN do?

  Not much, it seems. After asking the UN Spokesperson and others in the UN in writing, Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access asked Spokesman Stephane Dujarric what he or the UN had done. Video here.

  All that Dujarric would say is that he had spoken with the journalist. But what does that accomplish? Anything said publicly? Or (next story) to the country? Apparently not.

  On February 28 Inner City Press for FUNCA asked the Spokesperson:

1) [The journalist] who has been asking questions about Bangladesh at the noon briefing of late and about whom Inner City Press asked on February 27 now says that his media has now been blocked in Bangladesh, and he fears for the safety of his spouse and two children there.

On behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access, any UN comment? Or action?

2) please explain the correction today by your office, changing “saddened” to “condemn” -- was any complain received by the UN about the failure to condemn? Was the initial (or second) statement prepared by the Department of Political Affairs?

Finally, where are the Sri Lanka read-outs requested by Inner City Press and seemingly promised on Friday, Feb 27? This is an ongoing request.

 And only this answer came: "the statement resissue was due clerical error on our part. Nothing more. On the rest we"ll revert."

 But there was no reversion. By March 2, nothing on it. Nor from elsewhere in the UN system where it and more was sent.  So the question was asked at the March 2 UN noon briefing. We'll have more on this.

 On February 27 Inner City Press asked, video here:

Inner City Press: Press freedom question, both in Bangladesh and about Bangladesh here.  One, there was a pretty high-profile hacking to death of a blogger in Bangladesh named Avijit Roy, and I'm wondering whether the UN system, CPJ and others have denounced it for obvious reasons.  What does the UN say about that?  And also our colleague who's asked a number of questions here about Bangladesh, I tried to ask MALU yesterday whether it was true as reported in Bangladesh that the Government of Bangladesh or mission made some inquiry with the UN trying to essentially question his accreditation or make it so he couldn't ask questions here.  And I wanted to know, what's the position of the UN on such inquiries?

Spokesman Dujarric:  The UN's position is if somebody meets the accreditation criteria, they are welcome in this room and they are welcome to ask any questions.  I may cut them off if the preamble to their question is too long, but that's just my chair's prerogative.

Inner City Press:  Is it appropriate for Member States to try to essentially, like, cherry pick what journalists get to ask questions?

Spokesman Dujarric:  The point is that once they're in this room, they're allowed to ask whatever they want.  Okay?  On the attack of the blogger, we spoke to our human rights colleagues who obviously condemned the attack and expressed the hope that the perpetrators will be quickly brought to justice through the due process of law, and they've added that it's obviously very important that the space for freedom of expression in civil society be upheld in Bangladesh.

   After the briefing, Inner City Press and FUNCA were informed that the referenced journalist -- not the murdered blogger -- had his media's website blocked in Bangladesh, where there have been arrests for carrying placards, and threats against the Daily Star for publishing photographs of posters. We'll have more on this.

  On February 25, amid push-back at the questions, Inner City Pressasked with even greater specificity:

Inner City Press: I wanted to ask, beyond just the arrest warrant against Zia, there's a Mr. Mahmudur Manna has been arrested for trying to stir up the army and he's been arrested by something called the Rapid Action Battalion, RAB.  The reason I'm asking is research discovers that Mohammad [UN transcript claims "inaudible" but it is Muhammad Matiur Rahman] of this Rapid Action Battalion named in a filing that was directed to ICC is reportedly about to take up a position within MONUSCO.  I've been asking you this a number of times.  You'd said that the UN has all these concerns, but given that much of the violence in Bangladesh is allegedly perpetrated by the military that's contributing soldiers, I'm naming this name as a sample case.  What does DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] do to review the people coming in?  There are other conflicts…

Spokesman Dujarric:  I understand.  I've heard your question.  I tried to answer to the best of my ability yesterday when you last asked it.  You know, I have no specific information on the case that you mention or the people you mention.  There are procedures in place in order to ensure that DPKO uniformed personnel meet the requirements that we have and also in terms of human rights.  If I have any information on those specific cases, I will share them with you.

   But still, nothing, from UN Peacekeeping run by Herve Ladsous.

On February 24 Inner City Press on behalf of the new Free UN Coalition for Access asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about the Bangladesh government's threats against the media there, specifically the Daily Star.

  Now the these strands have come together, the UN's and UN Peacekeeping's dubious commitment to human rights and a lack of press freedom in Bangladesh -- and in the UN.

  The Kaler Kantho newspaper in Bangladesh, saying that questions about human rights and Bangladesh's military should not be asked at the UN's noon briefing, has favorably cited the UN Correspondents Association in its support, reporting (as auto-translated) that ICP

"United Nations Correspondents Association iuenasie) faced investigation. He was threatened with expulsion from the iuenasie was reported that the UK's Guardian newspaper. His reputation for investigative journalism in the United Nations." Click here to view, then translate.

  Here is the Guardian article, which reported that ICP which

"has been responsible for breaking several stories about the UN, has.. also written stories accusing the UNCA president, Giampaolo Pioli, of a conflict of interest involving Sri Lanka (see here).  Lee is regarded as the UN department of public information's least-favourite journalist because he is persistent, is willing to ask uncomfortable questions, and has cultivated an impressive network of sources within the UN. UNCA is a self-governing body and membership is not a prerequisite for obtaining UN press credentials, which are granted by the UN media accreditation and liaison unit (MALU). So Lee's expulsion would not automatically deprive him of UN access. However, it is possible that it might weigh in the balance when he next applies for credentials."

   In fact, Inner City Press was never expelled by UNCA -- they didn't have the votes -- but quit the organization in disgust once its term on the board expired, and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access.

  Now, Kaler Kanthro continues after citing UNCA, the UN's Censorship Alliance,, the Bangladesh government is trying to ask the UN - and US State Department - credentials of those who ask questions about human rights abuse and censorship in the country. At the UN, they've found the UN Censorship Alliance. But this time, there's FUNCA. 

  On February 24, Inner City Press on behalf of FUNCA asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: On Bangladesh, it seems like the violence is escalating but my question to you is about a statement by current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina where she says a publication, The Daily Star, legal action should be taken for publishing a photograph of a poster campaign of protesters in the street.  I’m wondering first if you have any response to that and also if you have anything new. I know there was a request to go.  Where do things stand as people seem to be getting disappeared et cetera?

Spokesman Dujarric:  I don’t have an update for you on that except obviously to say that we support freedom of expression and the right for newspapers to exist, which is a big part of democracy in any country.

   But what about using "peacekeepers" who have been involved in the violence?  We noted that we'd have more on Herve Ladsous' failure to vet Bangladesh's "peacekeepers," now as his DPKO won't answer this basic question. Ladsous refuses Press questions: video here and here,Vine here. (UNCA did nothing about this, quite the contrary.)

   Inner City Press has raised these questions: is Colonel Imran Ibne A. Rouf serving UN Peacekeeping? A filing addressed to the International Criminal Court says he "abducted seven innocent civilians from a place near Dhaka Central Jail;" they were all killed.

  What about Colonel Amin, Director of National Security Intelligence, now reportedly serving in Ladsous' MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic, along with Lt Col Mazid, who was commanding officer of Rapid Action Battalion 10?

  In Ladsous and Martin Kobler's MONUSCO mission in the DR Congo, where a Cote d'Ivoire diplomat was allowed to sell UN Police positions (clear here for that Inner City Press exclusive), please explain the presence of Lt Col Shiraj , Lt Col Mofazzal and Lt Col Khandakar Mahmud, all three of whom were in the Bangladesh Border Guards?

  In Ladsous' mission in Mali, accused like the mission in Haiti of shooting at unarmed demonstrators, please explain the presence of Lt Col Munir, Lt Col Faruq, Lt Col Shamsul Kabir and  Lt Col Mustafiz, all of whom were in the Bangladesh Border Guards, and another Maj Mustafiz, from the Directorate-General of Forces Intelligence?

   Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping uses human rights abusers, and at least in Mali and Haiti commits human rights abuses (while enabling them in the DR Congo and elsewhere). Maybe this is why Ladsous refuses to answer Press questions. Or maybe it's the still UNaddressed sale of posts scandal in his missions in Haiti and the DRC also exclusively exposedby Inner City Press. We'll have more on all of this.

 As to Bangladesh this comes after it emerged that Ban Ki-moon sent January 30 letter(s) to the country, even though the government there says they only got the letter much later. What explains the delay? 

When on February 5 Inner City Press asked the UN, which uses Bangladesh soldiers as peacekeepers, this ensued:.

  So what if anything is the UN doing? Watch this site.

Inner City Press Asks *NSR Christof Heyns About Lankans Killed in Sri Lanka & Saudi, Stop Killer Robots Talks, US and UK

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 30 -- When the UN's Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Christof Heyns held a press conference on October 30, his topics were foreign nationals facing the death penalty and best practices in investigations. Inner City Press asked Heyns about Sri Lankans and others executed in Saudi Arabia, and the shrinking of the promised investigation into killings in Sri Lanka in 2009. Video here.

  Heyns said he had a case or cases about Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia; he was generally upbeat about the process in Sri Lanka, saying there will be Commonwealth judges. Inner City Press might ask, what about Shavendra Silva? What about the UN's own role in the White Flag killings? Secretary General Ban Ki-moon almost reflexively calls for investigations. But what does the UN actually do?

   Inner City Press also asked Heyns about the (Stop) Killer Robots issues, specifically about the US and UK only agreeing to talk about “emerging” - that is, future - technologies, and not “existing” ones.Video here. (From Minute 4:36.) Heyns said yes that is the issue. We'll have more on this.

On October 22 when UN Rapporteur of Freedom of Expression David Kaye held a press conference before his appearance before the UN's Third Committee, his topic was whistleblower protection, on which the UN itself is particularly weak.

 When called on, Inner City Press asked Kaye about retaliation against UN official Anders Kompass for blowing the whistle on alleged child rapes by French troops in the Central African Republic. Video here and embedded below.

  Kaye said he would avoid speaking about individuals cases, but said that the UN suffers from a lack of transparency. He should know that while UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous is listed in the Kompass ruling(s) of the UN Dispute Tribunal as trying to get Kompass fired, Ladsous has refused to answer on his role, other than a terse “I deny that.” 

 Likewise, Ladsous has claimed the right to refuse to respond to ANY Press questions, in which the UN Spokesperson's Office has taken to backing him up. (When Ladsous did speak, he linked the peacekeepers' rapes to “R&R,” here.)

  Earlier this month, Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access asked if UN Peacekeeping's MONUSCU mission had any comment or action on Burundian journalist Egide Mwemero being silenced then arrested in Eastern Congo. So far, none. These are cases Kaye could work on.

  Free speech ironies at the UN were on display right in Kaye's press conference. The representative of the UN Correspondents Association, which among other things took funds from now-indicted David Ng's South South News and then give it an award, and gave Ng a photo op with Ban Ki-moon at Cipriani, demanded to ask the first question, even claiming that the UN Department of Public Information has granted this “right” in writing. Where?

  In fact, UNCA leaders tried to get the Press thrown out of the UN, with missives to DPI, one of which (from Voice of America) was released under the US Freedom of Information Act, another of which Reuters' bureau chief has gotten Banned from Google on the claim that his anti-Press complaint was copyrighted. Is this is whistleblower? UNCA has become the UN's Censorship Alliance. We and the new Free UN Coalition for Access will have more on this, and on free speech issues through the UN system. 

UN Admits Afghan 'Friendly Fire' May Have Killed US Staffer, US Mission Dodges

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
www.innercitypress.com/unleak3afgh041510.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 15 -- The UN covered up information that Afghan national forces killed its staff member Louis Maxwell, and then when asked by Inner City Press, belatedly disclosed an FBI investigation and said that "the preliminary conclusions of the mission's investigation raised the disturbing possibility that a specific UN staff member may have died due to “friendly fire”, caused directly by responding Afghan security personnel" -- to another media, not the one which asked.

Management of information is one thing, but cover up and lies are another.

On April 14, based on a tip from a UN source in Afghanistan, Inner City Press asked about the death of UN staff member Louis Maxwell, a U.S. citizen, outside the UN's Kabul guesthouse on October 28, 2009. Given time to response, the UN send Inner City Press an email that the case was subject to a Board of Inquiry and FBI investigation, and that therefore there would be no more comment.

On April 15, Inner City Press asked again, including when the Board of Inquiry began, and why the UN had not retracted Secretary General Ban Ki-moon 2009 statements that the Taliban were responsible for Louis Maxwell's murder. UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky told Inner City Press to "be careful" what words it used, and later said only that the Board of Inquiry began in January.

Nesirky's Associate Farhan Haq, however, issued a quote to another media -- which had not asked any questions at the UN's noon briefing -- that

"The preliminary conclusions of the mission's investigation raised the disturbing possibility that a specific UN staff member may have died due to 'friendly fire,' caused directly by responding Afghan security personnel. Once the BOI is finalized, we will share our findings with the Government of Afghanistan and if warranted we will ask for a thorough investigation surrounding the death of this UN employee and the circumstances of the deaths of the other UN employees."

One questions why the UN didn't disclose this "disturbing possibility" when it became aware of it, and then refused to disclosed it to accredited media which asked about it in open UN noon briefing sessions. This UN goes lower and lower every day.

Meanwhile, Inner City Press asked the US Mission to the UN

This is a request for comment on newly emerged information about the death in Afghanistan on October 28, 2009 of U.S. citizen Louis Maxwell.

At the time, Ambassador Rice said

I condemn in the strongest terms the brutal and cowardly attack in Kabul today on United Nations workers and members of the Afghan National Security Forces. An American citizen was among those who lost their lives. My heartfelt condolences and sympathies go out to the families and friends of all of the victims.

The United Nations has been doing vital work for the Afghan people for more than fifty years. The United States strongly supports the leadership and staff of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as they work bravely each day under incredibly difficult circumstances, and we are grateful to the Afghan National Security Forces for their commitment and sacrifice.

The international community stands together in its commitment to defeat those extremists seeking to halt democratic progress in Afghanistan. The United States stands firmly with the people of Afghanistan as they prepare for the November 7 presidential runoff elections.

http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/2009/131010.htm

Yesterday, after I asked a question at the noon briefing, the UN Spokesperson's office sent me this

From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply
Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Subject: Your questions on Louis Maxwell
To: Inner City Press

(further response on Louis Maxwell)

The United Nations has followed due process in investigating the death of staff in Afghanistan last October by instituting a Board of Inquiry after an initial fact-finding by staff in Kabul and New York. The United Nations has been in contact with the responsible Afghan authorities in the course of its inquiries. The Board will submit its report in due course. Further actions by the United Nations will depend on its findings. The specific circumstances in which Louis Maxwell died are currently being investigated and it would be premature to comment further at this stage.

The United Nations is also cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its inquiries into the incident. The United Nations has briefed the Maxwell family on the progress of its initial inquiries and is determined to support the family.

Questions: when did the US State Dept and, separately, Amb. Rice become aware of a credible alternative factual explanation of the attack and death, and of the US FBI's involvement in investigating this alternative explanation?

Why was Amb Rice's statement not amended at that time?

Is the statement going to be amended or supplemented now?

While the US Mission to the UN declined to respond in writing, as part of a telephone conversation the Spokesman of the US Mission, Mark Kornblau, provide this on the record response:

"As the UN Spokesman noted yesterday, there are ongoing investigations by the UN and FBI. It would be premature for us to comment at this time."

Some note that given the political situation between the Obama Administration and Hamid Karzai, the disclosure of a the murder of a U.S. citizen by Afghan national forces under Karzai's command would be inconvenient, to say the least. Asked about this concern, the US Mission to the UN had no on the record comment. Watch this site.

Footnote: the UN and US State Department might want to start changing their close to the chest communications strategy on this -- Inner City Press' Kabul sources say that ABC News has a crew on the ground now investigating Louis Maxwell's murder.

From the April 15 UN transcript:

Inner City Press: After yesterday’s noon briefing, your office issued a statement about the situation in Afghanistan -- the deaths of the UN staff, including Louis Maxwell -- saying, among other things, that “the United Nations is cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in its inquiries into this incident”. Because at times there have been some issues around UN cooperation with United States law enforcement, including in this building -- whether they have jurisdiction to come into the building, whether evidence is shared -- can you say when this cooperation began, of what it consisted, and ultimately isn’t it the UN’s responsibility? Who is leading the charge to find out who, in fact, killed these four UN staff members?

Spokesperson Nesirky: There is a Board of Inquiry, as I think you know. The United Nations instituted this Board of Inquiry after initial fact-finding by staff in Kabul and New York. The United Nations has been in contact with the responsible Afghan authorities in the course of its inquiries. The Board will submit its report in due course. Any further actions by the United Nations will depend on the findings, and it would be premature at this point to comment further.

Inner City Press: Like you had said, “as you were aware”, but I was not aware until yesterday afternoon that there was a Board of Inquiry.

Spokesperson: That is why you were aware, because you were told yesterday afternoon.

Inner City Press: Sure. Mr. Ban said clearly at the stakeout that this was an attack by the Taliban that had done it. Once the UN became enough aware that they created this Board of Inquiry, was there any thought given to saying “things are not as we first presented them”? And secondarily, on these boards of inquiry, how many of them are there? Are there just UN staff on it? Is it an outside Board of Inquiry? How many, I mean…

Spokesperson: There is a standard way to institute a board of inquiry, and I am sure that you are familiar with that. You have been here far longer than I have. The UN takes extremely seriously any incident which results in the loss of life in whatever circumstances of a UN staff member, and will investigate it thoroughly. And clearly the UN, as I mentioned, has been cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its inquiries into the incident. As we have also mentioned -- and I think you need to take that into account, too -- the United Nations has been briefing the family of Mr. Maxwell on its initial inquiries and will continue to support the family.

Inner City Press: Thanks for saying that, but this Board of Inquiry, you are saying, whenever staff are killed, the UN moves to this. Was this Board of Inquiry set up at the time that these five staff members were murdered? Or was it created at some later date, and what triggered its creation?

Spokesperson: Matthew, I should be very careful in the words that you are using. There is a Board of Inquiry and there is an investigation going on that involves the FBI. And the Afghan authorities are also investigating this, and it is part of -- as I mentioned earlier in a different context -- due process when you are investigating. Be very careful what words you are using.

Inner City Press: Is there any question… it is a question of who did the murder?

Spokesperson: There is an investigation going on.

Inner City Press: Right. Is it a new investigation? This took place in October and we are now in April. Has it been going on since October? I will just leave it at that. When was the date that this Board of Inquiry was instituted, since it is such a well known procedure how these things are done? When was it done? When was this created?

Spokesperson: I will let you know.

[The Spokesperson later added that, in January, the United Nations established a high-level Board of Inquiry to establish the facts and look for lessons learned.]

"Lessons learned," indeed. Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unleak3afgh041510.html

At UN, Rapporteur Alston Admits Drone Silence from US, Silent on UN, Calls Methods of Killing a Catch-22

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1executions063008.html

UNITED NATIONS, June 30 -- In the face of questions about the killing of civilians by U.S.-controlled unmanned Predator drones, the U.S. has argued that the UN Human Rights Council and its rapporteur Philip Alston have no jurisdiction, and are "irrelevant," Alston told the Press on Monday. Inner City Press asked Alston to characterize the U.S. responses to his inquiries about these killings from the air. "Their response has not been substantive," Alston said, rather only procedural. As set forth in a May 4, 2006 U.S. letter that Alston has put online, the U.S. argues that " inquiries related to allegations stemming from military operations conducted during the course of an armed conflict with Al Qaida do not fall within the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. The conduct of a government in legitimate military operations, whether against Al Qaida operatives or any other legitimate military target, would be governed by the law of armed conflict."

In the more than two years since, the U.S. has simply not responded to Alston's inquiries on the topic, whether about killings in the village Haisori, near the town of Mir Ali, North Waziristan, or Damadola in the Bajaur Agency, North Western Pakistan. Alston says he will include the issue in his "final report." In the briefing he gave Monday, Alston did not address attempt to curtail rapporteurs' mandates, so that any report they do could be their last report.

Alston was clearly running scared, or being wisely cautious. Inner City Press asked for his views on whether particular modes of execution are "cruel and unusual punishing," within the meaning of the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or otherwise. "I stay away from the question," Alston said. He said his mandate does not allow him to take a position for the abolition of the death penalty -- even though this is the UN position, as Ban Ki-moon learned in his first week on the job -- so he stays about from methods, calling them a "Catch 22."

Inner City Press also asked Alston what responses he has gotten from the UN, about its failure to discipline its peacekeepers after the killing of civilians, in Haiti, Kosovo and the Congo. In October 2007, Alston told the Press he was inquiring into these issues, click here for that. On Monday, Alston said that provide any update on the UN's response was behind the scope of his briefing, and said he would later provide the information. If and when he does, it will be reported on this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1executions063008.html