By Matthew Russell Lee, Photo, Video, CJR
UN GATE, August 12 – Burundi's government wanted all human rights presence out, and its then UN ambassador Albert Shingiro pushed it, using a shadow Twitter account @Jabaga70 which talked about killing "dogs" - meaning humans, not canines. Inner City Press outed him here, and asked UN about it here.
See also this (Guterres grinning cravenly at Shingiro), and Inner City Press video of Shingiro inside the UN, and here outside the UN after dictator (loving) Guterres threw Inner City Press out. Now, in August 2021, no answer, video here
Then the "new" Burundi government ordered the UN rep Office closed by Dec 31, 2021 - and Guterres has said nothing, while banning Inner City Press which asks. The retirees and Chinese and Middle Eastern state media he lets in do not ask about it. Typically, silence from Guterres who has been evading and violating COVID quarantine rules, going to Boston to meet a flight from Lisbon. The COVID - Nkurunziza connection has been reported even by those who ignore Guterres' censorship. And this while Guterres and Melissa Fleming take money from IKEA and Pierre Omidyar's Luminate to "drown out" speech they don't like, Inner City Press first story here.
Now in August 2021, from Burundi: "In Rumonge province, the permanence of the political party "National Congress for Freedom" (CNL) located on Buringa hill in Muhuta commune was destroyed and vandalized on July 25, 2021 for the 4th time since the start of this year. No investigation was carried out while the perpetrators of these crimes are well identified. The complicit administrative authorities remain silent in the face of this recent crime. They are quick to threaten owners of houses rented as CNL hotlines to force them to terminate contracts. The Governor of Rumonge Province effectively exerted pressure at the end of this month of July on an owner of a plot sheltering the CNL party's permanent residence in the capital of Muhuta commune, with a view to forcing him to terminate the rental contract with this left." And from Guterres and Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming? No answers.
Guterres' "ASG for Africa" Bintou Keita went to Burundi and said that everything is fine, you - or perhaps just she - can move around the country at any hour and there is no problem. UN propaganda article here, ghoulish laughing English audio here. Expect nothing or worse from the UNSC meeting on Burundi set for the end of October by Kafando and the South Africa mission, complicit in Guterres' now 728 day ban on Inner City Press.
So far in 2020, Guterres and his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming have refused to answer any of Inner City Press' written questions on Burundi and other topics.