In Yemen, UN Retaliates for Envoy Leak to Inner City Press, Silent on Saleh Challenge

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON, March 28 --  On the one year anniversary of the Saudi-led Coalition's campaign of airstrikes on Yemen, the Houthis and Saleh's GPC held separate rallies in Sana'a on March 26, photos below. 

At Saleh's rally, the first time he'd addresses people in public place in the past year according to Inner City Press' sources he said that the UN Security Council - and by implication its envoy -- will do nothing to resolve the conflict and that he would "ignore it". If it's a real Security Council speaking for the peoples, Saleh said, it should stop the war.

 On March 28, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: about Yemen, on the one-year anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing, which was held on the 26th, there were two big rallies in Sana’a.  One was by the Houthis, but another one was by followers of former President Saleh.  It was a pretty large one.  There are photographs of it.  And at this rally, he said he has no more interest in working with the UN Security Council or its envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, that only to deal directly with the Saudis.  And that if the UN had meant business, they would have stopped these air strikes long ago.  So I wanted to know, given that this is sort of a third element in the Yemen situation, what are Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s comments, relations with the Saleh side and this massive rally?

Spokesman:  Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed is continuing to speak to all sides in the region.  That has not changed.  And it is not, it’s not the Secretary-General that can stop the fighting.  It is those who have their fingers on the trigger or on the bomb doors that can actually stop the fighting.

Inner City Press:  Right.  I think their critique was just that it’s not an even-handed mediation...

Note: Inner City Press is informed that after its recent exclusive report on Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed's email to Feltman, not only did Dujarric's deputy Haq in retaliation deny Inner City Press any question -- also, Department of Political Affairs were questioned about their possible leaking

And then, UN lawyer Miguel de Serpa Soares made an eviction threat to Inner City Press, here.

Saleh's rally, March 26, 2016

  Saleh reiterated calls for direct talks with the Saudis, which the Houthis are already doing, and said that his party is coordinating with other Yemeni groups including Houthi to end the conflict. This came after Saleh's seeming exclusion from the direct talks between Houthis and Saudis which led to a lessening of border fighting and exchange of prisoners. h/t Shuaib Almosawa

Houthis' rally, March 26, 2016

When Inner City Press asked US State Department spokesperson John Kirby about Yemen on March 15, Kirby said "we welcome the fact that there is a cessation of hostilities." On March 23 at the UN, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq did not even allow Inner City Press a question to UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

 On March 24, Inner City Press asked Farhan Haq, UN transcript here:

on Yemen, I wanted to know, there are reports of talks, not only the ones between the Saudis and the Houthis, but now of talks in Oman concerning the possible remo… departure from Sana’a of President… former President [Ali Abdullah] Saleh in exchange for immunity.  And I wanted to know, as I'd wanted to know yesterday, whether the envoy… the UN envoy is involved in either of these two tracks of talks or if they… he thinks they undermine his track, the fact that the Saudis and Houthis are talking directly and the fact that there are talks in Oman about Saleh and his future legal status.

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, as I believe he actually said, you know, he was… he's not involved in that separate process of talks that is happening between the Saudis and the Houthis.  But he is… he encourages them because they are helping to move this process along. 

  But are they driving the Houthis and Saleh apart? We'll have more on this.

  On March 23, Inner City Press asked at the end about Saleh leaving the country, if any Permanent Five member of the Security Council is asking for that. I haven't heard that, the fishy envoy said (Vine here), leaving without answer about his blocking practices on Twitter.

 On March 24 Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft about the Yemen talks going on outside of Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed's track -- Rycroft said it's a good question, the various talks should all come together -- and if the UK thinks Saleh should leave Yemen. Video here.

  That's up to the Yemeni people, Rycroft said. Another Press question is, whither Hadi? Has he lost legitimacy? Does the UAE support Bahah? On the UAE, where is the UN's former Libya envoy -- and former top Spanish official in the UN system, a title now in the news -- Bernardino Leon? We'll have more on this.

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced a cessation of hostilities - but not under April 10 - and talks on April 18 in Kuwait. Inner City Press is told that despite how pro-Saudi he (and the UN's question selection) is, there is still anger at things the envoy said. Here a link to his opening remarks. We'll have more on this.

  On March 16, Inner City Press returned to the State Department and asked Kirby's deputy Mark Toner about the Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah which killed, it asked, 41 or 107 people; Toner replied in part that the US could not verify the specifics, see below.

 On March 19, amid yet MORE Saudi airstrikes on Sana'a, the UN's fishy envoy Ismail Ould Cheick Ahmed said something pubicly, on Twitter - but it was not about the bombing and suffering. Instead it was: "Important meetings in Sana'a today in order to prepare for the next round of peace talks for #Yemen."

  So Inner City Press asked him, "Press question for @OSESGY: I see you saying you have important meetings in Sana'a; any comment on #Saudi airstrikes there?"

  While some predicted blocking -- the approach taken by Burundi's current Ambassador to the UN, and a former of a P5 -- we will await a response and explanation, watch this site.

On March 18, Inner City Press asked Kirby again:

Inner City Press: On Yemen, I see that you answered yesterday and you said you didn’t have the details yet about this airstrike in Hajjah province, but now the UN’s human rights commissioner has said that his team got there on Wednesday.  They put the death count at 106.  UNICEF Yemen puts it at 118.  So I’m just wondering, do you accept that as kind of – as – is that enough information to – for the U.S. to say this did happen and that’s the death count?

MR KIRBY:  We’re aware and deeply concerned by reports that a significant number of civilians may have been killed or injured during a strike near a market in northern Yemen.  I’m unable today to verify any of the specifics of what happened.  I would note, though, that the coalition has stated that it will conduct an investigation of the incident, and we encourage them to conduct a prompt, transparent investigation and publicly release the results.  It’s vital that the investigation provide a thorough and objective accounting of the facts and circumstances of the incident and, if appropriate, to address any factors that led to it so that we can prevent reoccurrence, of course.

As we’ve said previously, we’re deeply concerned by the effects of the crisis in Yemen, both in terms of civilian casualties and the dire humanitarian situation which still exists.  Okay?

  

 On March 18, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights put the civilian death toll at 106; UNICEF in Yemen puts the figure at 118 dead including 22 children.

 On March 16, Inner City Press returned and asked Kirby's deputy Mark Toner about the Saudi airstrike in Hajjah, full video here from Minute 56:28; Vine here, US transcript here:

QUESTION: Inner City Press. I want to ask about Yemen and something about the UN.

MR TONER: Sure.

Inner City Press: On Yemen, yesterday, Mr. Kirby said that we welcome the fact that there’s a cessation of hostilities. And then, as I’m sure you know, there was a big airstrike in Haja province – some people say 41 killed --

MR TONER: Yeah.

Inner City Press: -- some say 107. What do you say to that? And related back to the genocide question, also still on Yemen, Sudan is part of the coalition. Sudan has troops in Yemen with the U.S.-supported coalition. And I’m wondering, how is that – does that – does the genocide finding as to Omar al-Bashir in Darfur have any implication for the U.S. not being part of a coalition or militarily cooperating with a government whose head of state is charged with genocide by the ICC and was found by Colin Powell to --

MR TONER: So to your first question, we’re certainly aware of the reports that civilians may have been killed or injured during a strike, I believe, near a market in Haja province. I can’t at this time – cannot verify the specifics. We remain deeply concerned by the devastating toll of the crisis in Yemen, both in terms of civilian casualties, but also, obviously, in terms of the humanitarian situation that Yemen faces. We urge all sides to comply with obligations under international humanitarian law.

Speaking to the broader peace process, as you know, Secretary Kerry was just there. I was with him over the weekend, as was poor Dave here. And we were on a trip to Saudi Arabia. But one of the things that we discussed – he discussed, rather, with both the Saudi – His Royal Highness King Salman, also the crown prince, and the deputy crown prince as well as Saudi Foreign Minister al-Jubeir – they talked about the need for a political solution to the situation in Yemen. And so we support the UN efforts to that end.

In terms of your second question, I’m actually – I just don’t know the specifics about that or what prohibits us – you’re saying why we would not have been part of this, are we prohibited from taking part in that?

Inner City Press: No, no, I guess I was saying – you were saying that there – or people were saying in this first round that there were some legal implications if you make a finding of genocide. And I don't know if those include not working with --

MR TONER: But I’m not sure whether they pertain to --

Inner City Press: -- the government who --

MR TONER: I’d have to – yeah, I can take that question. I don't know.

QUESTION: Okay. And do you know – just one other – because I think the question was taken yesterday.

MR TONER: Yeah.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask about this corruption case about the UN. Today, in the Southern District of New York, the former deputy permanent representative of the Dominican Republic pled guilty and has pledged to cooperate against the former president of the General Assembly, John Ashe. I wanted to know the State Department’s position on it, and also on the Government Accountability Project. They wrote a letter – a public letter to the U.S. Mission to the UN urging them to get involved in opposing retaliation by the UN against the press that has been reporting on the corruption scandal. I think that some members of Congress are actually now – but I haven’t seen anything from the State – from the U.S. mission. So I’m wondering, is the State Department aware of the corruption case, and also separately of this GAP letter, and what’s their response to it?

MR TONER: I would imagine we’re aware. I’m not, unfortunately. I apologize we haven’t gotten back to you on that. We’ll take it.

On March 15, Inner City Press asked US State Department spokesperson John Kirby, from the US transcript:

Inner City Press: I want to ask about Yemen.  I saw the Secretary’s comments when he was in Saudi Arabia about possibility of a ceasefire similar to Syria and something about having teams on the ground working on that.  So I wanted to know – it seems like there’s talks between the Houthis and the Saudis that don’t involve Saleh or even Hadi.  It seems – what’s the U.S.’s – like, what was he referring to?  Is it – does he view direct negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia as a positive thing?  Is that the ceasefire he’s talking about?  And what’s the role of the UN envoy, who seems not to be part of those talks, and of Mr. Hadi going forward?  Is he the future president of Yemen or is he – has time passed him by?

MR KIRBY:  So there’s a lot there.  There – we still continue to support the UN special envoy and his efforts.  That’s not going to change.  And when the Secretary was in the region over the weekend, Yemen was – as he said, was a significant point of discussion with Saudi leaders.  Nothing has changed about our support for the UN special envoy and his efforts to get a political process going and move forward.  And the United States is going to remain firmly behind that effort.

He also said that we welcome reports that there is a reduction in violence between Houthis and the coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia.  We welcome the fact that there is a cessation of hostilities, quite frankly, that appears to also be holding.  That’s a good thing, because we’ve long said that there needs to be an increased effort by the international community to get humanitarian aid and assistance to so many Yemeni citizens who are in need, and that’s hard to do when there is still violence going on between both sides.

So we welcome this – that development, and we welcome the news that there are discussions between the two sides.  If those discussions can lead to a resolution of the conflict and to a continuation of the reduction of violence, that too is a healthy thing.  But it doesn’t mean that we aren’t also going to continue to support the UN track here, because we still believe that that is an important part of putting in place a sustainable governing structure, one that the Yemeni people clearly deserve going forward.  So it’s both, it’s both.  And he’s very much focused on both tracks and I think you’re going to continue to see that be the case going forward."

 On March 15, a Saudi airstrike killed at least 106 civilians in northern Yemen... 

On March 14, Inner City Press had asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: on Yemen, there are obviously a lot of reports now that the Saudis are negotiating directly with the Houthis.  This was referred to by some degree by John Kerry in his visit to Saudi Arabia over the weekend.  Where is the envoy?  Is the envoy part of this?  Is this outside the envoy…

Spokesman:  We referred to it, as well, on Thursday or Friday where this is something that the envoy welcomes and has been encouraging for some time.

 But is he involved?

On Western Sahara, Ban Ki-moon's Spox Told Inner CIty Press No Comment, Then Ban's Lawyer Miguel de Serpa Soares Issued Threat

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 28 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, tellingly though his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, issued a non-apology apology to Morocco on March 28, “regretting misunderstandings.”

  Even those close to Ban tell Inner City Press that Ban cares like for the Saharawis, only that he was "personally insulted" by Morocco's protests and wants to retaliate, as his UN did on Inner City Press on February 19and now.

  While Banned from the Security Council stakeout but not yet from the UN Press Briefing Room, at least not during the noon briefing, Inner CIty Press asked Ban's Dujarric, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: on Western Sahara, there’s an article in the Moroccan press quoting the press conference on Thursday of the Foreign Minister, saying that he was that… that… he believes Ban Ki-moon, when he met with him on the Monday of last week, committed to make an apology.  He said it’s because of this lack of an apology that the decision to not allow MINURSO to return is irreversible.  So I wanted to know, did he misunderstand the meeting, or is this a misreport?  And also there’s separately a report by the UN volunteers who left MINURSO and went I guess back home that somehow they feel they’re being cheated out of money, that it’s a security withdrawal because of the threat of, forced by Morocco, but it’s not being acknowledged as such.  So I’m wondering, what is their status?

[inaudible]

Spokesman Dujarric:  We can check with UNV what their status is.  I’m not going to comment on what the Foreign Minister said.  I think the Secretary-General’s position was laid out clearly just today.  Again, I think, as I just read, the Secretary-General regrets the misunderstanding and consequences that the personal expression of solicitude provoked.

Question:  I have a question of how the stakeout on Western Sahara on the 24th was run.  I can ask now or at the end, whichever you prefer.

Spokesman:  Let’s ask later. [See InnerCityPress.com & UN retaliation.]

Meanwhile Ban's head of Communications Cristina Gallach had Inner City Press Banned from covering the UN Security Council meeting on Western Sahara on March 21, and in a Kafka-esque show required a UN minder for Inner City Press on March 24, then misrepresented it to Western Sahara supporters in New Zealand, see below.

  Here is what Ban's spokesman Dujarric said as an “if-asked” (tweeted by @InnerCityPress) on March 28, when Dujarric refused to explain Gallach's (and his?) minder requirement:

“it is useful to understand the circumstances of the Secretary-General's use of the word 'occupation.' He used it one single time in response to a press question, noting that he had been moved and saddened to see the harsh conditions in which men, women and children have been living for decades. His use of this word was not planned or deliberate. It was a spontaneous personal reaction.

“We regret the misunderstandings and consequences that this personal expression of solicitude provoked, especially since the main purpose of the Secretary General's trip was to focus on the need for a mutually acceptable way forward that would, among other things, end the tribulation of the refugees.”

   Now "tribulation," not occupation - or, as the UN does, seizure. When to respond to Morocco's ouster of the MINURSO mission from Western Sahara the UN Security Council met at 8:30 am on March 21, Inner City Press arrived to cover the meeting, as it has Council meetings on the topic each April and October.

 But this time, it was unable to access the Security Council stakeout in order to speak with diplomats for its reporting. Video here. Any reporter with a Resident Correspondent pass, as Inner City Press had for eight years, could go to the stakeout. But not Inner City Press, not anymore.

   The reason Inner City Press was Banned from stakeout out the Western Sahara meeting was UN Under Secretary General Cristina Gallach's February 19 letter telling it, on two hours notice, to leave the UN after ten years of coverage. Letter here. Gallach never once spoke to Inner City Press before issuing the order.

   The results of Gallach's order, which remains in place as of March 26, is systemic exclusion from covering and staking out events ranging from Sri Lanka counter-terrorism to the process for selecting Ban Ki-moon's successor, from UN Security Council reform to an event about slavery, the UN's memorial to which has funded since indicted and pleaded guilty to bribery at the UN.

   After the March 24 UN Security Council consultations on Western Sahara, just after the reading out o the Council's “Press Elements,” things hit a new low. UN Department of Public Information staff, working for Gallach, told Inner City Press it had to leave the Security Council stakeout even as other pro-Morocco journalists were conducting interviews with diplomats.

   After Inner City Press stated this was censorship attributable to Gallach, her staff's “solution” was even more Kafka-esque: Inner City Press would require an escort, or minder, as it conducted interviews. Obviously, diplomats desiring to speak on background about Ban's performance on Western Sahara would not do so in the presence of a minder working for Ban's Secretariat.

   What has led to this censorship or Banning of the Press at the UN, on Western Sahara, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Burundi and other topics?

  While Gallach's February 19 letter is vague, in the “incident” she alludes to Inner City Press sought to report on an event, nowhere listed as closed, held in the UN Press Briefing Room on January 29.

It was a meeting of the UN Correspondents Association, and Inner City Press wanted to cover it to see if the group's having under Giampaolo Pioli taken money from thhe South South News of now indicted Ng Lap Seng's and Vivian Wang's (and Frank Lorenzo, who has pleaded guilty) would be discussed. UNCA's Pioli demanded that UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric ask Inner City Press to leave.

 When despite no showing that it was a “Closed Meeting” a single UN Security officer told Inner City Press that Dujarric wanted Inner City Press to leave, it did.

   But the disagreement about the right to exclude the press from the UN Press Briefing Room was used by Gallach -- and it seems UNCA “leaders” including Giampaolo Pioli and at least two news services which now operate anonymous troll social media accounts -- to three weeks later, on two hours notice and with no due process, order Inner City Press out.

   Because the UNCA trolls, which are followed by and echo Gallach, repetitively tell anyone they can that Inner City Press is not restricted in any way in covering the UN -- which is a lie -- Inner City Press notes not only the obvious - that Gallach is Spain's highest UN official - but also the following:

After the March 24 Western Sahara meeting of the UN Security Council, Gallach tweeted to a questioner from New Zealand who asked, “why did you remove the accreditation of Inner City Press?” Gallach replied, photo here, that “I did not! ICP is fully accredited! Can report from UN.?His privilege to use office was taken out, due to misbehavior.”Photo of Gallach's tweet here.

  This is false. On March 21, Inner City Press was unable to reach the stakeout of the UN Security Council on Western Sahara as it had been able, until Gallach's decision of February 19. And on March 25, the moment Security Council president Gaspar Martins finished reading out the elements to the press - and Inner City Press but not the swearing UNCA boss Pioli asked him a question -- UN DPI staff told Inner City Press to leave the stakeout, even as diplomats remain.

  Inner City Press said that to report on the meeting, it need to speak to the diplomats, many of whom has in the past spoken with in on background. But now with its Gallach-reduced pass, DPI staff said Inner City Press required an “escort” or minder to remain on the second floor.

  What diplomat desiring to speak on background about Ban Ki-moon's questionable performance on Western Sahara would do so in view of a minder from Ban's Secretariat? It is FALSE that Inner City Press is fully accredited. And it is significant that, well before March 25, Gallach has been multiply informed of the impact of the restrictions she imposed without due process. As to Western Sahara, for example, the impacts -and intent? - are clear.

  Furthermore, the “misbehavior” repeatedly citing by Gallach illusory. UNCA should have have been trying to hold a “closed” meeting in the UN Press Briefing Room - even Francois Hollande could not do that - and the event was nowhere listed as closed. Inner City Press live tweeted and live streamed it openly, from the booth in the back to avoid the heckling of Pioli's gang.

  Dispositively, on March 23 UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq did nothing when two non interpreters were in the interpretation booth during the noon briefing. There is no clear rule, at least none that is enforced.

  But compared to this disagreement, isn't coming to the UN Security Council stakeout to loudly call another reporter “an asshole” misbehavior?UNCA chief Giampaolo Pioli, who lobbied Gallach to throw Inner City Press out, came to the UN Security Council stakeout on Western Sahara and loudly and repeatedly called Inner City Press “an asshole.” Audio here. Gallach's February 19 letter citing some rule about civility. Will she enforce it on Pioli?

 Gallach's ruling must be reversed. Watch this site.

The day after the UN Security Council issued mere Elements to the Press on Morocco's ouster of much of the UN's MINURSO mission, Moroccan media stole a photograph taken by Inner CIty Press and false said it was Ambassador Omar Hilale flashing the victory sign on the way into a lunch with Ban Ki-moon, here.

  In fact, Inner City Press took and tweeted  the photo as Hilale and his team gathered in the Turkish Lounge outside the Security Council during one of this week's closed door consultations, on March 21. Notably, the Moroccan publication not only uses the Inner City Press photo without credit - it claims credit itself.

  At this same UN Security Council on March 24 UN Correspondents Association boss Giampaolo Pioli repeatedly and loudly told Inner City Press "You are an asshole." Sample audio here. Since then another sample pro-Moroccan troll has snarked, "Maybe you are;" @InnerCityPress replied that Hilale for example never said it. We'll have more on this.

Why didn't UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon go to El Aaiun in Western Sahara, even to visit the headquarters of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara?  And why on March 21 did Ban say, "We had a good meeting in the Security Council today" when his deputyspokesperson Farhan Haq told Inner City Press it was fine it was excluded between there were no Secretariat staff involved? Who is Ban's "we"?

  On March 24, after three hours of consultations, the UN Security Council emerged with so-called "Press Elements" read by the Council's President for March, Angola's Ambassador Gaspar Martins. Periscope video here. Fast transcript by InnerCityPro.com here.

  After these Elements were read out, Inner City Press asked if they meant all15 members would like to see MINURSO returned to Western Sahara, and if some thought Ban Ki-moon should, as demanded, apologize. Inner City Press also asked about Morocco's foreign minister's comment that the country's recent moves are "irreversible."

  Still later, while UN minders were telling Inner City Press it had to leave the second floor even as other UN correspondents on UNCA's board remained doing interviews, Inner City Press managed to get a read-out, that in the Security Council consultations members had not been sure of, or agreed on, what Morocco's minister had said, and so would have to meet again soon. Watch this site.

Strangely, while Ban's Secretariat saying it is strongly opposing Morocco's note verbale it civilian staff leave "the territory of the Kingdom of Morocco," on March 23 to Reuters and AFP it was an anonymous UN official who made the argument.

On March 24, Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about this incongruity: why ostensibly speak truth to (Moroccan) power... anonymously?

 Instead of explaining, Haq said to Inner City Press, For a journalist you seem to have a problem with officials speaking to the media. Well, no: why only to pro-Ladsous scribes, and anonymously? Inner City Press asked if Herve Ladsous as head of UN Peacekeeping will finally hold a press conference, which it seems he hasn't since September 11, 2015 when on camera he linked peacekeeper rapes to "R&R." Haq did not respond.

 (On Reuters and AFP and anonimity, it's ironic: both were linked to anti-Press anonymous troll society media accounts, here; now it seemsVoice of America has joined them.)

 As the UN Security Council had another round of closed door consultations about MINURSO on March 23, Inner City Press' sources tell it that a mild draft Press Statement is being "shot down" by Egypt, for the Arab Group or League - with France once again able to hide its imminent veto on the issue.

 As to Spain, whose foreign ministry has yet to answer - and in full disclosure whose highest UN official Cristina Gallach ordered Inner City Press out of the UN on two hours' notice and it still trying to seize its office, restrict its ability even to cover the Security Council on Western Sahara, video here -- sources says it is "blackmailed."

 What does that mean? Morocco can turn on migration, act on the small territories, has many Spanish companies on its territory and at sea. "Unless a larger power tells Spain to be decisive on this, Spain will just drivft," was the verdict. We await the ministry's comment.


Cristina Gallach, with Qatar's ex-PR, Spain sign, credit UN Photo/Evan Schneider

  UN DPKO boss Herve Ladsous went into the Security Council on the afternoon of March 23 without a word or answer. On his way out at 4:30 pm, Inner City Press asked him, Any progress on MINURSO? No answer. Any response to the Tony Banbury op-ed? One in his entourage laughed. Would retaliation follow? For Inner City Press, it already has. Watch this site.

Inner City Press: Open Letter to Amb Samanatha Power As ICP Faces Retaliation & Eviction from UN

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 28 -- Amid increasingly retaliation from the UN for Inner City Press' reporting and attempts to cover not only crises like Burundi and Yemen and Western Sahara but also UN corruption, Inner City Press on the evening of March 28, after receiving a legal threat from the UN's top lawyer, issued this open letter to US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, cc-ed:

March 28, 2016

Dear Ambassador Power:

  I write to you as a journalist who has covered the United Nations for ten years, who has for example asked you questions about Burundi and UN peacekeeper rapes, but who now faced eviction from the UN and hindering of my reporting in retaliation for my efforts to cover corruption in the Organization.

   As set forth below, on February 19 on the order of UN Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach, who never once spoke to me, I was thrown out onto First Avenue, my laptop thrown on the sidewalk.Audio here.

  On February 26, the DC-based Government Accountability Project wrote to your colleague Ambassador Isobel Coleman urging your Mission to response to this retaliation and to ensure Inner City Press is restored to its shared office space and Resident Correspondent accreditation.

   But today, March 28, I have received a letter from Under Secretary General for Legal Affairs Miguel de Serpa Soares ignoring all arguments about retaliation and freedom of the press and of expression, and reiterated USG Gallach's threat to evacuate eight years of files or have them removed by the UN.

   In this context, still not having heard back from your Deputy or Spokesperson, I am writing this open letter. I have heard that some in the US Mission have delayed acting on GAP's requests, saying that some other journalists don't like me. Others do; more fundamentally, I do not believe that journalism, particularly investigative journalism, is a popularity contest.

 (But be aware, USG Gallach and SG Ban Ki-moon have received protests to their retaliation from, for example, Sri Lanka's Northern Provincial Council - and responded withmispresentations - as well as groups in Burundi, Yemen and elsewhere. There is an online petition, here, with more than 1000 signatures and comments.)

   I also believe that even if one is a supporter of the UN, the Organization is not helped by covering up corruption, or rapes by its peacekeepers, or hindering media which digs into and reports on these.

   The supposed basis for my ouster has not held up. I endeavored to cover an event in the UN Press Briefing Room, where you have held press conferences, on January 29. I had published an article about the event two days before; I openly live-streamed it on Periscope over my phone, entirely visible in the glassed in interpreters booth I used in order to not interact with the event.

   The event was nowhere listed as closed; I believed and believe that events in the UN Press Briefing Room are presumptively open to all and not just some journalists, until the UN Journal or UN Security say otherwise. Two UN spokespeople asked me to leave as a favor; shortly thereafter when a single UN Security officer told me the Spokesman wanted me to leave, I did. I published a story, and the video.

  Three weeks later, without a single conversation or opportunity to be heard - with no due process -- my Resident Correspondents pass was deactivated and I was handed to letter to leave in two hours. That evening, as I was typing up the Syria meeting of the Security Council, I was pushed down the escalator by eight UN Security guard and thrown out onto First Avenue. Audio here.

  (The 17th Precinct, notable, told me they have no jurisdiction over the UN.)

  On Monday February 22, I was told I was banned from all UN premises. After covering the UN and Security Council for three days from the Ralph Bunche Park across the street, and stories in BuzzFeed and Business Insider, I re-entered with a restricted “non-resident correspondent” pass. This has resulted, as your colleague Ambassador Coleman has been informed by another branch of the US government, in the hindering of my reporting.

  But this hindering, these double standards and threats have continued. As I explained in an email to your Deputy and Spokesperson on March 26, before receiving USG de Serpa Soares eviction threat, last week the unjustly reduced accreditation status resulted in me being unable to stakeout and cover the Western Sahara meeting of the Security Council on Monday, March 21 (video here). 

Even more Orwellian, right after the Council's president read out Press Elements on March 24, I was told by MALU staff I had to leave the stakeout immediately, without speaking with any diplomats.

After I said that I have a right to report -- USG Gallach has said I will have the same access, which has not been true -- I was told the only way I could stay was with an a MALU / Secretariat “escort.”

This discourages diplomats and whistleblowers from speaking, with a Secretariat minder present, and in context is tantamount to UN censorship. It is unacceptable and USG Gallach's order must be reversed.

As I have explained and is now even more clear, there was no basis for the penalty in USG Gallach's February 19 letter ousting me from the UN on two hours notice. The meeting I covered was nowhere listed as closed; I filmed it openly, live-streaming on Periscope.

I have been informed that USG Gallach tells interlocutors, including up from Washington, that my violation was being in the interpreters booth. She has refused to produce any rule in that regard, and this past week on March 23 I witnessed and filmed two non-interpreters in the “Other” interpretation booth of the UN Press Briefing Room as the noon briefing took place. Video here.

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq did nothing about these non-interpreters in the interpretation booth, quite different from my treatment on Jan 29 and since. On March 24 I asked Haq about it and he admitted he had not known who the individuals in the interpretation booth were the previous day. Video here.

So there is no rule, or no rule that is even arguably evenly enforced, in the regard. USG Gallach's order must be reverse: it is not only unjust and untenable: it is resulting in UN censorship.

On March 25 USG Gallach replied to a Western Sahara advocacy group in New Zealand which asked “why did you remove the accreditation of Inner City Press?” Gallach replied, photo here, that “I did not! ICP is fully accredited! Can report from UN.?His privilege to use office was taken out, due to misbehavior.”

Not only is it false that I “fully accredited” - I have had a reduction in accreditation and access and have been banned from the Security Council stakeout on March 21 and required to have a Secretariat “minder” on March 24 -- it also echoes exactly the argument made by two new anonymous social media accounts which USG Gallach follows.

One of these accounts has devoted all of its 600 plus tweets since it began just after my ouster on February 19 to denigrating Inner City Press and misleadingly saying that I have full access. This account is clearly affiliated with UNCA - it tweets about what happened in the UNCA meeting after Inner City Press was ejected, including a refusal then to provide a hard copy of the budget - and is, on information and belief, associated with Reuters, which conducted a similar “troll” campaign in 2013.

The second account is also devoted to denigrating Inner City Press and sounds suspiciously like the Voice of America correspondent who sought to get Inner City Press out in 2012, until exposed under the US Freedom of Information Act.

 (Since for example John Kerry is on the Broadcasting Board of Governors which runs VOA, I believe you and the Mission should particularly look into and take action on this.)

The UN should have a Freedom of Information. Inner City Press and I - and the alternative Free UN Coalition for Access - are entirely for free speech. But for major media to open anonymous accounts to attack a smaller media, to have it followed and echoed and even obeyed by the UN's USG for Public Information, is too much.

This too: on March 24 as I worked on Western Sahara, UNCA President Giampaolo Pioli approached me and said, “You are an assh*le,” loudly. He repeated this several more times, even as I advocated with UN Security not to lock the glass door to the Security Council until the Western Sahara meeting was over. Audio here.

If I have had my accreditation cut and access to my office denied for five week for trying to cover a meeting I believed and believe related to the John Ashe / Ng Lap Seng / Frank Lorenzo / South South News / Vivian Wang case, or for being uncivil, how can UNCA's president be allowed to repeatedly call me an assh*le as I work at the Security Council stakeout? USG Gallach has done nothing.

At this point, USG Gallach has turned over the powers of her office to a witchhunt, which began in 2011 with an attempt to censor my coverage of Sri Lanka. Notably while the response to Sri Lanka's Northern Provincial Council's March 1 letter to the 38 floor was signed by UNICEF's Una McCauley, when asked about its inaccuracy UNICEF has said, "Ask DPI."

USG Gallach's February 19 order must be reversed and this witchhunt and censorship must end. Inner City Press must be restored to its long time shared office space and Resident Correspondent accreditation status immediately, to allow it to report without intimidation or censorship.

  I make this request to you personally, as a former journalist, who clearly has the power to have this reversed. I await your response.

Thank you for your time.

Matthew Russell Lee
Inner City Press
S-303, UN, NYC NY 10017 (?)
InnerCityPress.com @InnerCityPress

  Watch this site.

Ban Ki-moon's Lawyer Reiterates Press Eviction Threat, Corruption UNaddressed

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 28 -- On February 19 without once speaking to Inner City Press, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach order the Press to leave the UN, which it has covered for ten years, in two hours.

  This took place as Inner City Press covered the South South News and South South Awards bribery scandals implicate both Ban and Gallach, as well as having former President of the UN General Assembly John Ashe, Macau-based businessman Ng Lap Seng and South South News VP Vivian Wang under house arrest. (Frank Lorenzo, Sheri Yan and others have pleaded guilty.)

  Since February 19, any basis other than retaliation for Gallach's ouster order has fallen apart. The meeting in the UN Press Briefing Room that Inner City Press openly live-streamed on Periscope was nowhere listed as closed. The UN either has no rule against use of the interpreters' booth in the UN Press Briefing Room, or as seen on March 23, does not enforce it. 

  But today's UN system has no self-correcting mechanism.

  On March 28, Ban's top lawyer Miguel de Serpa Soares belated responded to two separate lawyer's letters not with little more than another threat - to physically remove and presumably search Inner City Press' eight years of files - and an unqualified assertion of the UN's immunity like he asserts for 10,000 people killed by the UN in Haiti. This is Ban's UN.

 Earlier on March 28, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric didn't even bother to explain why Inner City Press was being thrown out for "incivility" while the head of the UN Correspondents Association Giampaolo Pioli was allowed to four time loudly call Inner City Press "an asshole" at the UN Security Council stakeout on March 24.

  That the use of an interpreters' booth was Gallach's supposed reason for the ouster - not mentioned in de Serpa Soares letter - was undercut when Dujarric's Deputy Farhan Haq did nothing when two non-interpreters used an interpretation booth in the same room. Dujarric called that a "mistake" and cut off Inner City Press' question.

 Today's UN is corrupt and lawless: it does not even deign to explain or hide its double standards or retaliation. Nor its censorship: under Gallach's order, DPI personnel order Inner City Press to leave the UN Security Council stakeout on March 24 so as to not fully cover the meeting on Western Sahara.

  Spain, whose highest UN official Gallach is, took the position that the Council should not speak out against Morocco throwing out the MINURSO mission (a larger version of Gallach's ouster of Inner City Press). Gallach is censoring covering of Western Sahara, or trying assign minders as it is being reported.

  This is Ban Ki-moon's "Communications."

 On March 26 Inner City Press raised to Ban's senior advisers, and Ban's account, the UNCA anonymous troll social media accounts that Gallach and Dujarric at a minimum follow. One of Ban's closest officials, instead of acting on the issues raised, replied, "I have passed on your latest email to those assigned to deal with this issue."

 Tellingly the troll accounts immediately stopped -- have THEY been assigned to "deal with this issue"? Or, at a minimum, goes Gallach know exactly who they are, and how to reach them?

 (One of the two troll accounts revived itself more than 24 hours later, claiming now to a collective - UNCA board? - and to know know who the other, more active, account belongs to. We'll have more on this.)

  What triggered de Serpa Soares belated response? On March 23, when de Serpa Soares was on one of his countless coffee runs with the same colleague to the Delegates' Lounge, Inner City Press politely asked him if he'd gotten a February 29 letter. He said no; Inner City Press offered him a courtesy hard copy, which he refused.


Ban and his evicter in chief, de Serpa Soares, UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

He and Gallach were then re-emailed the February 29 letter and another one in preparation, citing applicable US law. Even though this status was explained, the idea of accountability is apparently anathema to today's UN. Hence his March 28 renewed threat: Ban Ki-moon as evicter. Watch this site.

   Even when UN officials senior to Gallach are shown what she has done - and that it is further hurting the UN's reputation for example in northern Sri Lanka, among some concerned with Yemen, and Burundi, and Western Sahara Press coverage of which Gallach has hindered, they do nothing.

Some, it has become clear, are happy Inner City Press' reporting has been hindered - that reporting in some cases is into their involvement in UN corruption.

Several senior UN officials close to Ban Ki-moon have not only like him been close with Ng Lap Seng's, Frank Lorenzo's and Vivian Wang's South South News (March 24 video here) - they were for example at the very founding of Sheri Yan's Global Sustainability Foundation, one of two groups that even Ban has seen the need to (self) audit.

  But as the scandal expands, one telling response has been to simply refer Inner City Press and its evidence back to Gallach herself.

As Inner City Press has replied, the concerns it has been raising include (1) conflict of interest by USG Gallach, (2) the seeming use of the punitive powers of her office to retaliate against Inner City Press' reporting, (3) her and her affiliates' misrepresentation of Inner City Press' restricted access to report, (4) a total lack of due process by her office and (5) lack of any UN process of appeal from her decision.

In this context, merely forwarding complaints and proof to USG Gallach is, clearly, not enough. In fact, it further shows just now broken today's UN is.

Gallach's letter cited an incident on January 29.

  In that “incident,” Inner City Press openly sought to cover a meeting in the UN Press Briefing Room of an organization which had taken money from South South News, whose honorary president Frank Lorenzo has pleaded guilty to bribery charges as his vice president Vivian Wang has been indicted and funder Ng Lap Seng -- given a photo op with Ban Ki-moon by UNCA - remains under house arrest.

To seek to cover such a meeting is journalism.

  By contrast, UNCA chief Giampaolo Pioli, who lobbied Gallach to throw Inner City Press out, came to the UN Security Council stakeout on Western Sahara and loudly and repeatedly called Inner City Press “an asshole.” Audio here.Gallach's February 19 letter citing some rule about civility. Will she enforce it on Pioli?

   After the Western Sahara meeting, Gallach tweeted to a questioner from New Zealand who asked, “why did you remove the accreditation of Inner City Press?” Gallach replied, photo here, that “I did not! ICP is fully accredited! Can report from UN.?His privilege to use office was taken out, due to misbehavior.” Photo of Gallach's tweet here.

  This is false. On March 21, Inner City Press was unable to reach the stakeout of the UN Security Council on Western Sahara as it had been able, until Gallach's decision of February 19. And on March 25, the moment Security Council president Gaspar Martins finished reading out the elements to the press - and Inner City Press but not the swearing UNCA boss Pioli asked him a question -- UN DPI staff told Inner City Press to leave the stakeout, even as diplomats remain.

  Inner City Press said that to report on the meeting, it need to speak to the diplomats, many of whom has in the past spoken with in on background. But now with its Gallach-reduced pass, DPI staff said Inner City Press required an “escort” or minder to remain on the second floor.

  What diplomat desiring to speak on background about Ban Ki-moon's questionable performance on Western Sahara would do so in view of a minder from Ban's Secretariat? It is FALSE that Inner City Press is fully accredited.

  Furthermore, the “misbehavior” repeatedly citing by Gallach illusory. UNCA should have have been trying to hold a “closed” meeting in the UN Press Briefing Room - even Francois Hollande could not do that - and the event was nowhere listed as closed. Inner City Press live tweeted and live streamed it openly, from the booth in the back to avoid the heckling of Pioli's gang.

  Dispositively, on March 23 UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq did nothing when two non interpreters were in the interpretation booth during the noon briefing. There is no clear rule, at least none that is enforced.

  But compared to this disagreement, isn't coming to the UN Security Council stakeout to loudly call another reporter “an asshole” misbehavior? Gallach's ruling must be reversed. Watch this site.

On March 24 as Inner City Press was staking out the UN Security Council meeting about Western Sahara and Morocco's ordering out of the UN Peacekeeping mission there, a figure rarely seen at the stakeout approached.

  Giampaolo Pioli the head of the UN Correspondents Association came over to where Inner City Press was typing and editing audio and video and said, “You're an asshole.”

   Moments later, Inner City Press now with its UN accreditation pass downgraded to Non-Resident Correspondent by UN Department of Public Information chief Cristina Gallach at the behest of Pioli went to ask UN Security not to lock the glass door to the Security Council before the Council's president spoke at the stakeout.

  As Inner City Press asked the guard not to lock the door to journalists, UNCA's Pioli again said, “You're an asshole. I'm telling you that you're an asshole. Quote me.” Audio here.

   What's behind this? How did a journalists club turn into a club against a journalist, and why? Beyond Pioli's financial relationship with Palitha Kohona, who as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN Pioli unilaterally granted a "UN" screening of a war crimes denial film, there is for example the matter of South South News.

  South South News is depicted in the October 2015 criminal complaint against John Ashe, Ng Lap Seng, Frank Lorenzo and others as a vehicle for bribery, to the tune of $12 million.

  UNCA under Pioli took SSN's money, and gave its funding Ng Lap Sent a photo op with Ban Ki-moon. But Pioli's UNCA also gave South South News a "journalism award," and SSN in term featured videos of Pioli, here - and ofPioli's tenant Kohona, here.

SSN video at 0:29 features Lorenzo (guilty plea) and Wang (indicted)

   John Ashe's former spokesperson is a member of UNCA; a SSN anchor, too. These are among the reasons that Inner City Press sought -- facing retaliation - and seeks and will continue to seek to cover this corrupted organization, as part of the wider and expanding UN corruption scandal. Watch this site.

Pioli and his rental of one of his apartments to an accused war criminal, involved in Sri Lanka's notorious White Flag killings, then screening of his tenant's film, played a key role.

But there have been many enablers, among the Gulf and Western media on UNCA's board; there are been others to the very top of the UN who have benefited from and left unchecked this war on investigative journalism.

This as Pioli's UNCA took money from now-indicted Ng Lap Seng's South South News, gave SSN a journalism award and Ng a photo op with Ban Ki-moon. After after the indictments, Pioli was selling half-tables with Ban for $6,000 on Wall Street in December 2015. That Ban's UN tries to shield this from coverage is telling.

  To try to oust or wipe out coverage of failure in Sri Lanka and more recently Burundi and Yemen to name but two is, of course, convenient, as well as stopping or hindering aggressive coverage of the expanding UN scandal in this waning year.

  Inner City Press spoke and speaks out when Reuters took stories without credit, even claimed "exclusives" for things earlier published by Inner City Press. Reuters bureau chief made an anti-Press filing with the UN's Stephane Dujarric. Then when it was leaked, he wrote as Reuters to Google to get it blocked from Search, ostensibly as copyrighted. "His" reporter has been worse, in ways.

   Margaret Besheer of Voice of America, who after being exposed in 2012 and her bosses saying in writing theirattempt to oust Inner City Press for her was wrong -- is at it again.  She was standing pre-positioned at the UN gate on February 19, 2016 when Inner City Press was physically thrown out. These are tax dollars at work, violating the First Amendment.

  There are more - former AFP, the current ones hardly better - and others who just follow along. Now their "leader" Pioli has come to the stakeout, not to report anything - he rarely does - but to loudly call a critic, who actually writes stories, an "asshole." And not one of them did anything. At the UN the journalists' club has become a club against a journalist.

Photo of Pioli at UNCA Ball, credit UN Photo/Amanda Voisard
 
  Inner City Press replied that it believed and believes Pioli is corrupt, that he took rent money from Palitha Kohona then unilaterally granted Kohona's request as Sri Lanka's Ambassador for an UNCA / “UN” screening of his government's war crimes denial film, “Lies Agreed To.” And that Pioli after demanding censorship of Inner City Press' coverage has used UNCA and now DPI to try to throw Inner City Press out of the UN, just as Pioli first threatened.


Ban with Pioli, who told Inner City Press, "You are an asshole." Credit UN Photo/Evan Schneider

  Another UNCA board member -- Inner City Press quit its elected position on that board in 2012, saying openly that Pioli was corrupt, now in taking money from indicted Ng Lap Seng's South South News and granting him a photo op with Ban Ki-moon -- said such language should not be used at the stakeout.

  But it was Pioli who approached Inner City Press, which hasn't willingly spoke with Pioli in more than a year.

  So it is for this person that Cristina Gallach first ordered Inner City Press out of the UN on two hours notice on February 19 and on whom she has since leaned in trying to defend her February 19 decision, which was reached without once speaking with Inner City Press.


Ban shakes with Cristina Gallach, who threw ICP out of UN on Feb 19, 2016 on 2 hours notice. Credit UN Photo

  Her rationale was that Inner City Press secretly filmed a closed meeting, but that doesn't stand up: the meeting was nowhere listed as closed, and Inner City Press openly live-streamed and even live Tweeted it: hardly secret.

  So the fallback argument was that since Inner City Press covered the UNCA event in the UN Press Briefing Room from one of the glassed-in interpreters' booths, in order to avoid just such a response as Pioli's “asshole” on March 24, it had violated some as-yet unproduced rule about not being in an interpreters booth.

  But on March 23 Inner City Press observed and filmed two non-interpreters in the “other” interpreters booth in the UN Press Briefing Room while UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq read out statements and did NOTHING about the use of the interpreters booth.

  On March 24, Inner City Press asked Haq about it, from the UN Transcript here.

 On his way out of the UN Press Briefing Room, Haq said to Inner City Press, “Liar.” This is the atmosphere created, when DPI and the Spokesperson's office have allowed a character like Pioli, angry at coverage of his financial dealings with Sri Lanka's ambassador, to essentially run the asylum.

   It seems clear now that there must be a complete reversal of  Gallach's February 19 order, based on false facts (closed meeting, “secret” filming), a dubious rule and at the behest of an UNCA boss who barely writes articles, seeks to control UN office space and comes to the UN Security Council stakeout to call a critic an asshole. We'll have more on this.

Even on UNCLOS Talks, Corporate Influence Like Ng Lap Seng's South South News With UNCA

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 28 -- The question of corporate influence and even bribery in the UN is one that has to be asked, for example as regards the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdictions.

   A press conference on the topic was held on March 28 at the beginning of a round of talks. Inner City Press asked, what will be the role and influence of corporate interests in these talks in the UN?

  Currently Macau-based businessman is under house arrest indicted for allegedly paying bribes in the UN, including through South South News, which funded the UN Correspondents Association which then gave Ng a photo op with Ban Ki-moon.

  The answer from the podium on March 28 was that business interests, as a "part of civil society," can speak. (The Pew representative seems about to answer, but it didn't happen. We would welcome a Pew response on this.)

  The Ng Lap Seng - South South News tale, like that of Sheri Yan and her Global Sustainability Foundation (which until South South News, Ban assigned to OIOS for a self-audit), shows that at the UN, corporate interests can even be behind the NGOs or Association, even purported journalists' organizations.

  Tellingly, even on UNCLOS the first question was taken by UNCA, by a representative who was pre-positioned for, filmed and laughed out Inner City Press' physical ouster by UN Security on the orders of DPI's Cristina Gallach on February 19. This is how the UN works, or doesn't. We'll be following this UNCLOS process - including corporate influence.

  Note that previously, before so digging into UN corruption, Inner City Press covered similar Pew events, like here, without having to question the corporate capture of Ban's UN, and its descent into censorship.

As Inner City Press was staking out the UN Security Council meeting on March 24 about Western Sahara and Morocco's ordering out of the UN Peacekeeping mission there, a figure rarely seen at the stakeout approached.

  Giampaolo Pioli the head of the UN Correspondents Association came over to where Inner City Press was typing and editing audio and video and said, “You're an asshole.”

   Moments later, Inner City Press now with its UN accreditation pass downgraded to Non-Resident Correspondent by UN Department of Public Information chief Cristina Gallach at the behest of Pioli went to ask UN Security not to lock the glass door to the Security Council before the Council's president spoke at the stakeout.

  As Inner City Press asked the guard not to lock the door to journalists, UNCA's Pioli again said, “You're an asshole. I'm telling you that you're an asshole. Quote me.” Audio here.

   What's behind this? How did a journalists club turn into a club against a journalist, and why? Beyond Pioli's financial relationship with Palitha Kohona, who as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN Pioli unilaterally granted a "UN" screening of a war crimes denial film, there is for example the matter of South South News.

  South South News is depicted in the October 2015 criminal complaint against John Ashe, Ng Lap Seng, Frank Lorenzo and others as a vehicle for bribery, to the tune of $12 million.

  UNCA under Pioli took SSN's money, and gave its funding Ng Lap Sent a photo op with Ban Ki-moon. But Pioli's UNCA also gave South South News a "journalism award," and SSN in term featured videos of Pioli, here - and of Pioli's tenant Kohona, here.

SSN video at 0:29 features Lorenzo (guilty plea) and Wang (indicted)

   John Ashe's former spokesperson is a member of UNCA; a SSN anchor, too. These are among the reasons that Inner City Press sought -- facing retaliation - and seeks and will continue to seek to cover this corrupted organization, as part of the wider and expanding UN corruption scandal. Watch this site.

Pioli and his rental of one of his apartments to an accused war criminal, involved in Sri Lanka's notorious White Flag killings, then screening of his tenant's film, played a key role.

But there have been many enablers, among the Gulf and Western media on UNCA's board; there are been others to the very top of the UN who have benefited from and left unchecked this war on investigative journalism.

This as Pioli's UNCA took money from now-indicted Ng Lap Seng's South South News, gave SSN a journalism award and Ng a photo op with Ban Ki-moon. After after the indictments, Pioli was selling half-tables with Ban for $6,000 on Wall Street in December 2015. That Ban's UN tries to shield this from coverage is telling.

  To try to oust or wipe out coverage of failure in Sri Lanka and more recently Burundi and Yemen to name but two is, of course, convenient, as well as stopping or hindering aggressive coverage of the expanding UN scandal in this waning year.

  Inner City Press spoke and speaks out when Reuters took stories without credit, even claimed "exclusives" for things earlier published by Inner City Press. Reuters bureau chief made an anti-Press filing with the UN's Stephane Dujarric. Then when it was leaked, he wrote as Reuters to Google to get it blocked from Search, ostensibly as copyrighted. "His" reporter has been worse, in ways.

   Margaret Besheer of Voice of America, who after being exposed in 2012 and her bosses saying in writing their attempt to oust Inner City Press for her was wrong -- is at it again.  She was standing pre-positioned at the UN gate on February 19, 2016 when Inner City Press was physically thrown out. These are tax dollars at work, violating the First Amendment.

  There are more - former AFP, the current ones hardly better - and others who just follow along. Now their "leader" Pioli has come to the stakeout, not to report anything - he rarely does - but to loudly call a critic, who actually writes stories, an "asshole." And not one of them did anything. At the UN the journalists' club has become a club against a journalist.

Photo of Pioli at UNCA Ball, credit UN Photo/Amanda Voisard
 
  Inner City Press replied that it believed and believes Pioli is corrupt, that he took rent money from Palitha Kohona then unilaterally granted Kohona's request as Sri Lanka's Ambassador for an UNCA / “UN” screening of his government's war crimes denial film, “Lies Agreed To.” And that Pioli after demanding censorship of Inner City Press' coverage has used UNCA and now DPI to try to throw Inner City Press out of the UN, just as Pioli first threatened.


Ban with Pioli, who told Inner City Press, "You are an asshole." Credit UN Photo/Evan Schneider

  Another UNCA board member -- Inner City Press quit its elected position on that board in 2012, saying openly that Pioli was corrupt, now in taking money from indicted Ng Lap Seng's South South News and granting him a photo op with Ban Ki-moon -- said such language should not be used at the stakeout.

  But it was Pioli who approached Inner City Press, which hasn't willingly spoke with Pioli in more than a year.

  So it is for this person that Cristina Gallach first ordered Inner City Press out of the UN on two hours notice on February 19 and on whom she has since leaned in trying to defend her February 19 decision, which was reached without once speaking with Inner City Press.


Ban shakes with Cristina Gallach, who threw ICP out of UN on Feb 19, 2016 on 2 hours notice. Credit UN Photo

  Her rationale was that Inner City Press secretly filmed a closed meeting, but that doesn't stand up: the meeting was nowhere listed as closed, and Inner City Press openly live-streamed and even live Tweeted it: hardly secret.

  So the fallback argument was that since Inner City Press covered the UNCA event in the UN Press Briefing Room from one of the glassed-in interpreters' booths, in order to avoid just such a response as Pioli's “asshole” on March 24, it had violated some as-yet unproduced rule about not being in an interpreters booth.

  But on March 23 Inner City Press observed and filmed two non-interpreters in the “other” interpreters booth in the UN Press Briefing Room while UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq read out statements and did NOTHING about the use of the interpreters booth.

  On March 24, Inner City Press asked Haq about it, from the UN Transcript:

Inner City Press: Yesterday, as you held your briefing, there were two individuals in the booth right there, the interpreter's booth, the other interpreter's booth.  And I wanted to know, since it's been explained to me that there's some clear rule, it's been said that the Under-Secretary-General of Department of Public Information says that there's an extremely clear rule that only interpreters can be in these booths, and if anyone other than interpreters are in the booth, they face summary ouster from the United Nations.  What was the use of this… please explain, because he's been asked for the rule and didn't provide the rule.

Deputy Spokesman:  Yes, there was, in fact, a violation of the room, which we… which we have taken up…

Inner City Press:  A violation of what rule?  Can you provide the rule?  Because she's been asked for the rule.

Deputy Spokesman:  This is by our fellow DPI staff who were unaware of this, but they have been told they cannot use that room, that they cannot and must not.

Inner City Press:  Who were they?  And did you know yesterday when you did nothing during your presence there?

Deputy Spokesman:  I did not know, because, as when you were hiding there, it's difficult for me to tell that there are people there.

Inner City Press:  There's no hiding.  They're totally visible.  So, you're saying you didn't know and you did nothing, yet it's an extremely strong rule.

Deputy Spokesman:  No, I didn't say I did nothing.  In fact, we were apprised of this, and they cannot use that room.  Thanks.

 On his way out of the UN Press Briefing Room, Haq said to Inner City Press, “Liar.” This is the atmosphere created, when DPI and the Spokesperson's office have allowed a character like Pioli, angry at coverage of his financial dealings with Sri Lanka's ambassador, to essentially run the asylum.

   It seems clear now that there must be a complete reversal of  Gallach's February 19 order, based on false facts (closed meeting, “secret” filming), a dubious rule and at the behest of an UNCA boss who barely writes articles, seeks to control UN office space and comes to the UN Security Council stakeout to call a critic an asshole. We'll have more on this.