UN DPI Censored French Role in Rwanda Genocide, Revives Under Gallach, Evicting Inner City Press

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 3 -- The UN Department of Public Information assert it has the right to censor not only particular journalists (Under Secretary General Cristina Gallach told Inner City Press it is photographing the wrong things, and is set to evict it on April 6) but also some member states' exhibits.

 Inner City Press covered this, when DPI with an assist from the UN Office of Legal Affairs censored out France's role in the Rwanda genocide, see here.

  Inner City Press was already a UN "Resident Correspondent" at that time - now, after ever more detailed reporting, Gallach has cut Inner City Press' accreditation to "non-Resident Correspondent," and has used UN Security to oust and harass Inner City Press so it can't conduct interviews about French bestiality in the Central African Republic. (Inner City Press told Gallach about these impacts but she insists on pursing the eviction, see below.)

  With Gallach in charge of DPI, the censorship of exhibits has revived, Israeli ambassador Danny Danon complains today of the contemptible censorship enacted by the UN." Inner City Press has asked fo rmore information; it previously asked Danon about Ban Ki-moon throwing out the critical Press, letting it all hang out in his last year. We'll have more on this.

Amid a litany of rape charges against UN Peacekeeping under Herve Ladsous, Inner City Press exclusively obtained and on February 12 published UN emails showing another round of sexual abuse of minors in Ouaka prefecture in the Central African Republic by UN Peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Click here to view.

On March 31, after being Banned first from accessing the UN Security Council stakeout about the new rapes including bestiality by UN and French "peacekeepers" in the CAR, Inner City Press informed the official responsible for these restrictions, USG Cristina Gallach.

  Inner City Press, Banned from a gaggle where other reporters spoke with an Ambassador Inner City Press until Gallach's February 19 no due process order was routinely able to speak with, tried to explain to Gallach the impact of her order, audio here.

  But Gallach, previously the spokesperson for Javier Solana, maintained she will continue the restricted accreditation, and didn't respond to the fact that it is her order that leads to these restriction, and even to the actionable physical ouster of Inner City Press with honchos of her partner in censorship UNCA standing ready to film and laugh. We'll have more on this.

At the March 31 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: what I wanted to ask is this... given that this is a high-profile consultation of the Security Council, why is the glass door to the Security Council locked and the guard didn't allow me through the turnstile?

Spokesman:  Matthew, Matthew, I'm… today I'm taking a vacation from your access issue.

   On April 1, assuming Dujarric was over his paid vacation, Inner City Prss asked again, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: I'd asked you yesterday about the glass door to the Security Council being locked during the consultations and being denied the ability to be waved through the… the turnstile.  But, you said you were on vacation.  I wanted to ask you what happened after that, because it's deeply troubling to me.  When I finally got through, when I finally got through, I went down the ramp, and one of the… one of the ambassadors was speaking.  I set up with my tape recorder and was told I have to leave.  I…

Spokesman:  Matthew, if there's…

Inner City Press:  This is very serious, because I am not able to do my work.

Spokesman:  Matthew, if there is an issue, before you tweet about it, before you try to physically open the door, walk into the MALU office and ask for them to… ask for them to ensure that the security guard lets you through.  If there's any issue, the proper place to deal with it is MALU.

Inner City Press: I asked you something very specific.  Even once through, even once through the gate…

Spokesman:  If there is.  If there is an issue…

Inner City Press: Well, then where is MALU when they locked the door?  Why are the doors being locked?

Spokesman:  Maybe just go in.  You have everybody's phone numbers.

Inner City Press:  I have a question. I have a question.
Spokesman:  I'm done [beginning to walk off]

Inner City Press:  You're not done.

Spokesman:  I am done [walking away]

Inner City Press:  I guess you're done.

   This is today's UN. We'll have more on this.

  On March 31, after being Banned from the stakeout as the Council met about new rapes in CAR, Inner City Press belatedly entered. After outgoing UNSC President Gaspar Martins read Press Elements, Inner City Press began to ask him about the allegations again the French Sangaris force, including bestiality.

  To cut off Inner City Press' question, Agence France Presse's Carole Landry said, "Journalists first." Video here.

  Landry is on the executive committee of the UN Correspondents Association, which headed by Giampaolo Pioli has lobbied UN official Cristina Gallach to oust Inner City Press from its shared office and from the UN. But should Gallach be partnering with a group that tries to shout down others, or call them non-journalists, at the stakeout?

   After Pioli on March 24 came to the Council stakeout and four times called Inner City Press an "a*hole," audio here, nothing was done. Pioli was present on March 31 but apparently stood behind "enforcer" Landry of AFP.

 Pioli used AFP before, in defense of (French) head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous, here. Landry and AFP, tellingly, never reported what Ladsous said on UNTV on September 11, 2015, that there would be fewer rapes if the peacekeepers were taken on "relatively cheap R&R flights," here.

  Two days after the UN's top lawyer Miguel de Serpa Soares orderedInner City Press out of the UN and USG Cristina Gallach specified an April 6 deadline, it was reported by Code Blue that de Serpa Soares was spinning rapes, too, on March 29. Censorship of critical media amid cover up.

  Here was the UN's belated spin, hours after USG Gallach's eviction order - and after Inner City Press ran into Burundi's Ambassador Albert Shingiro in the UN lobby - since it does not have access to its long time office- and he spun Burundian troops' good behavior:

"On Friday 25 March the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) announced that it had received new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse that had taken place between 2013 and 2015 by UN and non-UN personnel, as well as by local armed groups, in the Kemo prefecture of the Central African Republic. Further information was also provided by the Spokesman's Office on Monday, 28 March.

A MINUSCA-led integrated team comprised of Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), Human Rights, Child and Women’s Protection, Conduct and Discipline, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNHCR travelled to the area and is now on the ground. The exact number and nature of these extremely troubling allegations are still being determined. The team has identified the contingents in question as those provided by Burundi and Gabon. Allegations made against the French Sangaris forces in the same area are also being investigated. [Bestiality.] More information will be provided as it becomes available."

 Yeah - after Ban's Gallach evicts the critical Press.

 Earlier at the day's noon briefing Inner City Press had asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here