By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 9 -- For 126 rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army with which the UN partners, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations under Herve Ladsous has adopted a policy of three strikes and MAYBE you're out, it emerged on Friday, March 8.
After Ladsous refused questions from Inner City Press about the rapes on November 27, December 7 and December 18, on February 6 he told Inner City Press that the UN knew the identities of the major of the perpetrators.
But then, when Inner City Press asked follow-up questions, the UN insisted it would not act until the Congolese investigation was finished: essentially, a rape grace period, as Inner City Press dubbed it.
After Inner City Press on March 5 asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about Ladsous' rape grace period, suddenly on March 7 DPKO summoned in friendier scribes and told them that the UN wrote to the Congolese authorities on February 4 setting a deadline for them to take action.
These slavish stories appeared, for example by Ladsous' lapdog Tim Witcher of AFP, without identifying the Congolese Army units at issue or what the deadline was.
On March 8, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky to explain this “information” and how it was given out.
By DPKO's choice, Nesirky said, adding that a second “final” letter to the Congolese authorities had been sent February 18. But when Inner City Press asked if “final” meant that support to the units had at last been suspended, Nesirky said no.
So Ladsous has turned Ban Ki-moon's claimed Human Rights Due Diligence Policy into three strikes and MAYBE you're out. Ladsous has debased his chosen lapdogs into writing stories without basic information, nor any notation that the missing information was requested but withheld.
Why did Ladsous on February 6 take Inner City Press' question about the rapes and say the UN knew the identity of the majority of the perpetrator -- but NOT say that a letter was sent on February 4?
Why did Ban Ki-moon not know or say this in responding to Inner City Press' question at his Security Council stakeout session about the Congo?
Why then did DPKO on March 7 rush to tell scribes who had never asked about the rapes about the month-old February 4 letter, but not the February 18 “final” letter? What has happened since?
Three strikes and you're out might be applied to Ladsous. Click here to view the first, beta film #LADSOUS2013. Watch this site.