On Ukraine, OHCHR on Pull-out of Hospital & Schools Is Belatedly Concerned

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 15 -- In the Ukraine meeting of the UN Security Council on November 12,  UN Assistant Secretary General Jens Toyberg-Frandzen said, among other things, that "on November 5, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk announced that pensions would be halted to areas under rebel control."

  Today's UN report on November 1-30 says this policy extended to the withdrawal of hospitals, schools and nursing homes. 

  On pensions, Inner City Press asked, in a November 12 story and at the November 13 UN noon briefing, isn't the halting of financial social benefits in rebel held areas by the government in Kyiv a form of collective punishment?Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson never offered any substantive response.

  Today, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said "the Government of Ukraine decided to temporarily relocate all state institutions, including medical and educational facilities and nursing homes, to territory under its control. The situation of citizens under the protection of the State, or dependent on such services, who have been unable or unwilling to move to locations where those services are now provided remains of great concern.”

  The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission's eighth report, released today, said the breakdown in law and order as well as the violence and fighting in the eastern regions, fueled by the inflow of heavy and sophisticated weaponry as well as foreign fighters, including from the Russian Federation, has had “a direct impact on all fundamental human rights, including the security, liberty and well-being, of individuals living there."

  On social security, today's OHCHR statement specified that “residents from Donetsk and Luhansk regions will have to register by December 31 in Government-controlled areas to receive social benefits. However, IDP registration points, already overwhelmed, did not have sufficient capacity to cope with the increased inflow of IDPs following the adoption of this policy.”

  The OHCHR press release quotes the head of the office, Prince Zeid of Jordan, who has yet to say anything publicly about a mounting scandal of leaked cables depicting two high employees of the Office, one still there, servicing Morocco on the Western Sahara issue.
 
Nor has Zeid's spokesperson responded to a Press request for comment about the UN Peacekeeping mission in Haiti shooting pistols and tear gas at demonstrators for democracy, and pushing reporters around, videos through there. 

 This is today's UN system.

  In October, Ukraine was scheduled to speak at the UN about its “Committee on Information” on October 21, but as UN speeches usually go longer than allowed, its turn was postponed until October 22.

That didn't stop the “UN Radio” Russian service from reporting on the speech on October 21 as if it had in fact been given that day. As translated, UN Radio on October 21 reported

“The representative of Ukraine accused Russia of using the information strategy of the Cold War

“One of the main prerequisites of violence in Ukraine became a propaganda information. This was stated by the representative of the Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, speaking at a meeting of the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly.”

  The UN's Fourth Committee did meet on October 21 - but Ukraine didn't speak. Instead it was the first speaker on the afternoon of October 22. Its speech, delivered in perfect French including the word “rigolo,” linked Russia to Joseph Goebbels.

  In reply, the Russian mission's spokesman brought up the recent Human Rights Watch report of the Ukrainian government using cluster bombs in and against Donetsk, and the lack of clarity on who called the snipers shots in Maidan Square.

  Later in the Fourth Committee meeting, Bolivia slammed “powers” who use information technology to intervene and violate privacy, bringing to mind USAID's “Cuban Twitter” and, of course, the NSA.

  Then Jordan said it was first among Arab nations to enact an Access to Information law, in 2007. The Free UN Coalition for Access has been pressing for a Freedom of Information Act at the UN, click here and here for that.

  FUNCA covers the Fourth Committee, including on Decolonization, and the Committee on Information, where at least theoretically the UN's descent into censorship could be raised and resolved. The old UN Correspondents Association, a part of this trend toward privatization of briefings and even censorship -- ordering Press articles off the Internet, getting leaked copies of their complaints to the UN's MALU banned from Google's search, here -- was nowhere to be seen. We'll have more on this.

   

On US Torture Report, Does UN's Ban Ki-moon Agree Convention Against Torture CAT Requires Prosecution, or Does Cat Have His Tongue?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 -- After the much anticipated US torture report was released on the morning of December 9, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had no direct comment. 

  Now, does Ban agree that the UN Convention Against Torture, UNCAT, requires prosecution? Or has the cat got his tongue?

   At the December 9 UN noon briefing in New York Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric for a comment from Ban Ki-moon, which was expected.

But Dujarric said that there was no comment, that the UN was following it. Video here, and embedded below. 

  Fully 24 hours later, at the December 10 noon briefing, Dujarric read out a statement from Geneva by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid.

  Inner City Press asked Dujarric why Ban hadn't commented in his own name. He is commenting through me, Dujarric replied, and stands with Prince Zeid's comments.
 
  Inner City Press asked if Ban stands with the comments of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in combating terrorism Ben Emmerson, that there should be prosecutions. Apparently not -- the answer was UNclear.  Video here.

  Now on December 11, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Mendez has said

“the example set by the United States on the use of torture has been a big draw-back in the fight against such practice in many other countries throughout the world... I travel to parts of the world in my capacity of UN Special Rapporteur on torture and I can attest to the fact that many states either implicitly or explicitly tell you: ‘Why look at us? If the US tortures, why can’t we do it?’ We have lost a little bit of the moral high ground, but it can be regained and it should be regained.”

The publication of the summary of the report, Mendez said, is but “a first step in the direction of fulfilling other US obligations under Convention against Torture, namely to combat impunity and ensure accountability, by investigating and prosecuting those responsible... In the past, I have engaged the US Government on a number of cases referenced in the CIA report and I will carefully study the replies I have received and the facts now revealed in this report. There is no doubt that ‘torture programs right after 9/11 have made the matter of terrorism worse’ and the torture that has taken place has been a breeding ground for more terrorism.”

   So does Ban Ki-moon agree that CAT now requires prosecutions? Or has the cat got his tongue? Watch this site.

The UN Security Council churned on -- UN Peacekeeping chief refused to answer a simple Inner City Press question as he left the Council, here-- even with some of the countries which hosted “black sites” for torture members of the Council.

An Amnesty International representative said that countries that are members of the International Criminal Court, which hosted such sites, could be acted against by the Court. UN expert Ben Emmerson chimed in, calling for prosecutions:

“the summary of the Feinstein report which was released this afternoon confirms what the international community has long believed - that there was a clear policy orchestrated at a high level within the Bush administration, which allowed to commit systematic crimes and gross violations of international human rights law.. The identities of the perpetrators, and many other details, have been redacted in the published summary report but are known to the Select Committee and to those who provided the Committee with information on the program... Torture is a crime of universal jurisdiction. The perpetrators may be prosecuted by any other country they may travel to. However, the primary responsibility for bringing them to justice rests with the US Department of Justice and the Attorney General.”

But still, from Ban Ki-moon, silence. Watch this site.

   

On US Torture Report, UN's Ban Ki-moon Has No Comment After 24 Hours, Outsources to Prince Zeid

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 10 -- After the much anticipated US torture report was released on the morning of December 9, at that day's UN noon briefing in New York Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric for a comment from Ban Ki-moon, which was expected.

But Dujarric said that there was no comment, that the UN was following it. Video here, and embedded below. 

  Fully 24 hours later, still no comment from Ban Ki-moon, during a time frame he commented on Lesotho elections, for example.

 Instead, at the December 10 noon briefing Dujarric read out a statement from Geneva by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid.

  Inner City Press asked Dujarric why Ban hadn't commented in his own name. He is commenting through me, Dujarric replied, and stands with Prince Zeid's comments.
 
  Inner City Press asked if Ban stands with the comments of UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson, that there should be prosecutions. Apparently not -- the answer was UNclear.  Dujarric added that Ban has no intention to discuss the report with any US official. And so it goes in Ban's UN.

The UN Security Council churned on -- UN Peacekeeping chief refused to answer a simple Inner City Press question as he left the Council, here-- even with some of the countries which hosted “black sites” for torture members of the Council.

An Amnesty International representative said that countries that are members of the International Criminal Court, which hosted such sites, could be acted against by the Court. UN expert Ben Emmerson chimed in, calling for prosecutions:

“the summary of the Feinstein report which was released this afternoon confirms what the international community has long believed - that there was a clear policy orchestrated at a high level within the Bush administration, which allowed to commit systematic crimes and gross violations of international human rights law.. The identities of the perpetrators, and many other details, have been redacted in the published summary report but are known to the Select Committee and to those who provided the Committee with information on the program... Torture is a crime of universal jurisdiction. The perpetrators may be prosecuted by any other country they may travel to. However, the primary responsibility for bringing them to justice rests with the US Department of Justice and the Attorney General.”

But still, from Ban Ki-moon, silence. Watch this site.

   

UN Rights Chief Zeid Faces Staff Protests, Lack of Transparency in NY, Leaks About Western Sahara

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 21 -- Protesting layoffs and lack of transparency, staff at the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights are petitioning new High Commissioner Prince Zeid for due process and accountability. Inner City Press has obtained the petition and is exclusively putting it online here.

In it, the OHCHR staff call for “transparent and comprehensive information on prospective cuts and restructuring, detailing their impact on savings and OHCHR’s overall financial situation... tangible accountability measures by attributing responsibility for the present crisis and taking the requisite action to prevent another financial crisis of this magnitude in the future and a meaningful dialogue and truly consultative decision-making on ongoing financial including putting decisions on hold.”

The staff complain to Zeid that “the lack of transparency, consultation and information on who, where or how, not to mention why, some of us are affected is deplorable and unacceptable.”

The lack of transparency in the current OHCHR extends from Geneva to New York, where the Office anonymously spun its Ukraine report to hand-picked scribes then refused when asked to explain the basis. 

 Inner City Press on behalf of the Free UN Coalition for Access asked at the November 20 UN noon briefing that the New York representative of Prince Zeid hold a press availability about the report, including incongruities in report on labor issues such as the cut-off of pensions, click here for that.

  On accountability, the staff complain that the “senior management level evidently bears much more responsibility. Yet, it is other individuals at lower levels who are paying the price for this mismanagement.”

Also on accountability at the OHCHR, as Inner City Press has twice reported, document leaks from inside the UN have identified improper service of Morocco, on the question of Western Sahara, by a current staffer at the OHCHR, Anders Kompass, and by another who has recently left.

 Prince Zeid has yet to publicly address this scandal, though Inner City Press understands that no only is their an investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, but also inquiry from member states such as Sweden. Inquiry on them was not permitted at Zeid's one press availability this week in New York. Zeid should address this scandal - and his Office's staff. Watch this site.

   

As Sri Lanka Spins Blank "UN Human Rights" Forms, Inner City Press Asks UN, Zeid Speaks, Kohona's Landlord's Back to Head UN's Censorship Alliance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 7 -- On Sri Lanka at UN headquarters in New York the disinterest and delegation continue. On November 3, Inner City Press askedSecretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman about Sri Lanka's allegations about "blank human rights complaint forms." There was no substantive answer; four days later, it's Prince Zeid from Geneva who speaks out:

"'The Government’s attempts to deter and intimidate individuals from submitting evidence to a UN investigation team is unacceptable conduct for any Member State of the United Nations which has committed to uphold the UN Charter,' the High Commissioner said... The High Commissioner stressed that the UN had not formatted or distributed any forms for people to fill in, nor had the investigation team requested any individual or organization to go out and collect information on its behalf."

   In 2009 it was Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who went on the Rajapaksas' victory tour of the bloodbath on the beach. Some of Inner City Press' coverage is here.

 In 2011 Sri Lanka's denial of war crimes, “Lies Agreed To,” was screened inside the UN, hosted by the then-president of UNCA, become the UN's Censorship Alliance.

On November 3, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric about a new development, transcript here:

Inner City Press: In Sri Lanka, a newspaper has reported that the Government is searching people down for having “blank human right complaints forms” to the inquiry of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. And since, obviously, there are people who are now charged with this and on the run, I wanted to know: Can you state from this podium or sometime today, are there even… do such forms even exist? Is there a blank form for this inquiry? And if so--

Spokesman Dujarric: I don't know. You may want to refer that question to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights here.

Inner City Press: Okay. Even if it were to exist, should people be hunted down for having these forms?

Spokesman Dujarric: Obviously, I can't tell you… I don't know of the existence of these forms or whether there is a police action against it. Obviously, it's important that people have the right to cooperate, should they wish, with any UN human rights investigation

The article is easy to find; it is in The Island, which got leaked one of Ban Ki-moon's wan reports on Sri Lanka. But eight hours later, nothing. 

 In the interim, the previous president of UNCA Giampaolo Pioli, who when Inner City Press reported on his screening of Rajapaksa's war crimes denial film and the fact that Pioli previously rented one of his apartments to Palitha Kohona, still Sri Lanka's Ambassador, tried to get Inner City Press thrown out of the UN, made a new move.

  Pioli is positioning himself to again head UNCA, posting his name as the only candidate, endorsed by Pamela Falk of CBS who filled in for his for two years. UNCA has not been reformed in any way since its kangaroo proceeding against Inner City Press resulted in death threats.

  Inner City Press submitted requests under the US Freedom of Information Act to Voice of America, whoseMargaret Basheer wrote at the time that the newspaper of UNCA's president -- Pioli -- was preparing to sue Inner City Press for libel for the entirely true report that Pioli rented real estate to Kohona -- pictured below with Pioli and Shavendra Silva.

 It was pure intimidation and big media abuse, an attempt to censor. Inner City Press raised the death threats from Sri Lanka to Pioli's private held newspaper in Italy -- which allows Pioli to, for example, make campaign contributions to politicians he is supposedly covering -- resulting in yet more threats of litigation, attempts to intimidate and censor. There are more more documents obtained under FOIA, and audio clips, most not yet published.

Since then, Inner City Press quit UNCA and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access. But Ban Ki-moon's UN continues to prop up its UN Censorship Alliance, giving it a big room for free to hold screenings in, setting aside all first questions for it, using it to pretend to be doing a good job on press freedom and such issues as Sri Lanka war crimes. We'll have more on this.

   

On Sri Lanka, Religious Attacks in Aluthgama Met With UN Silence

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 16 -- In Sri Lanka the Buddhist extremist attacks on Muslims by the Bodu Bala Sena in Aluthgama have so far been met with silence by the UN. 

  In fact on Friday, June 13 Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq had no comment on another Buddhist supremacist initiative, in Myanmar, to ban inter-religious marriage when Inner City Press asked, video here.  

  Ban Ki-moon was with Mahinda Rajapaksa over the weekend at the G-77, but nothing has been said.

  Previously at the UN, much as been made of the Rajapaksa government seeking observer status in the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. Now what? And what of the nominee to replace Navi Pillay, Jordan's Prince Zeid?

  With Pillay slated to leave as UN High Commissioner on Human Rights on August 31, on June 10 in a final opening statement to the Human Rights Council she said of Sri Lanka, "My Office has now put in place a staff team that will be supported by several experts and Special Procedures mandate holders, to conduct the comprehensive investigation mandated by this Council in order to advance accountability, and thus reconciliation. I encourage the Government to take this opportunity to cooperate with a credible truth-seeking process."

  But the Rajapaksa government has already indicated it will not cooperate. In fact, it has made threats to go after anyone who does cooperate.

   Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, for whom many say inaction on Sri Lanka has been a low point of his tenure, has nominated Jordan's Prince Zeid as Pillay's successor. As Inner City Press reported, Zeid to his credit was troubled by the inclusion of controversial military figure Shavendra Silva on Ban's and Herve Ladsous' Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations.

  Silva remains a figure within the UN, texting in Sri Lanka's seat in the General Assembly. How will Zeid proceed? Why isn't there an at least semi-meaningful confirmation process? We'll be watching. 

 The UN has entirely stonewalled Press questions about thenew White Flag killings report and the light it sheds on current UN official Vijay Nambiar and former UN official, now Sri Lankan Ambassador Palitha Kohona.

Now Erik Solheim of Norway has given an interview and said:

Solheim: On 17 May, 2009, the Norwegians and others received calls by Pulidevan and Nadesan who wanted to surrender. We told them it was too late for us to arrange anything and advised them to hoist a white flag. On 18 May, we were informed they were killed.

Q: However, Dr. Palitha Kohona declared, after the war, that the LTTE senior militants shot and killed Prabhakran and his immediate members as they did not want anyone to surrender to government troops. Isn't this a possibility?

Solheim: You will have a huge difficulty finding any other person believing this story.

  In the UN, however, when Inner City Press reported on the background to Kohona getting the Rajapaksa government's denial of war crimes, “Lies Agreed To,” screened in the Dag Hammarjkold Library auditorium, the reaction from the then-president and executive committee of the United Nations Correspondents Association are summarized here. One wag wondered whether the 2009 Bloodbath on the Beach has now been echoed as Blowhards on the Beach, here.

   In Sri Lanka now the Rajapaksa government blocks websites it doesn't like. The UNCA board asked that Inner City Press articles be removed from the internet. This was refused. One UNCA board member claimed to Google that his “for the record” complaint to the UN trying to get Inner City Press thrown out was in fact private and “copyrighted.”  Here is a response from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

   This got it banned from Google's Search, under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which threatens to be globalized through the Trans Pacific Partnership. Who said there is not censorship in the UN, and in the United States?

  Now the new Free UN Coalition for Access opposes all of this, and attacks on media work both inside the UN andfurther afield. Solheim has said he is willing to testify; outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay's said to be eying Sandra Beidas to head the probe. Watch this site.

   

Myanmar Authorities Brag UNICEF Won't Say "Rohingya," As $87,000 Rent Paid and Spun

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 7 -- In Myanmar, now UNICEF has apologized for using the term "Rohingya," authorities have bragged. This comes as UNICEF pays $87,000 a month to rent its office, and pay it to a landlord with links to the Than Shwe military junta.

  UNICEF has tried to explain away these $87,000 monthly payments. But to agree to censor the very name of the Rohinga minority?

  The local report says, "The head of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) in Myanmar, Bertrand Bainval, personally apologised for the use of the term ''Rohingya' at a June 4 press conference on Unicef’s plan to help children Myanmar’s second poorest sate, according to Rakhine State officials."

  Some human rights industry profilers on June 6 immediately praised Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tapping Jordan's Prince Zeid to replace Navi Pillay as High Commissioner on Human Rights by saying that "as a Muslim," Zeid will acting on the Rohingya issue. How about UNICEF reportly agreeing to not even use the word Rohingya?

  Back on May 23, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric, to put the question to Ban's “Good Office” envoy to Myanmar Vijay Nambiar. 

  Are these Good Offices? And what is Nambiar's and the UN's response to a new report documenting the UN's troubling role during the final stage of Sri Lanka's conflict in 2009?

  UNICEF on its website acknowledges then spins:

“$ 87,000 per month... Standard due diligence on the owner and her family concluded that none of the international sanctions in place until recently had been levied against the landlady or her immediate family and no criminal charges were extant. Although allegations against a member of her family who was once a member of the previous military regime surfaced, the official had since left public office and was not subject to any criminal charges or international sanctions.”

  Is that the UN's standard -- member of previous military regime is fine to pay $87,000 a month to, as long as no current criminal charges? 

  And what now of the report UNICEF agreed not to use the word Rohingya?

This is what Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman, on May 23:

Inner City Press: on Myanmar,I wanted to ask it here, because there’s a good offices mandate of the Secretariat. UNICEF has acknowledged that it’s paying $87,000 a month in rent to a former member of the military Government of Myanmar. And, although they say that they did a sanctions check and found… they acknowledge that the person was a member of the junta, they say that it’s okay. And I wanted to know, is this sort of, UN-wide, does the UN in terms of looking at its business relationships and the payments of those types of money — is just not being on the sanctions list enough? Or is there some higher standard?

Spokesman Dujarric: Let me look at what UNICEF has said and if I have anything, I’ll get back to you.

Inner City Press: And maybe ask Mr. [Vijay] Nambiar. That was my thought.

Spokesman: Would be happy to.

Inner City Press: And about the Sri Lanka report, as well.

Spokesman: Yes.

  But these, like Inner City Press' repeated questions about the new report on Sri Lanka, by a member of Ban's only Panel of Experts, have gone unanswered.

  The issue of rent and war crimes has arisen before at the UN in connection with Sri Lanka. In 2011 the president of the UN Correspondents Association agreed with Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona to screen a government film denying war crimes in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium. 

  This was agreed to without asking other UNCA executive committee members like Inner City Press -- which since quit UNCA and co-founded the Free UN Coalition for Access -- and without disclosure or recusal. Inner City Press reported a previous financial relationship -- rent -- between Kohona and the UNCA president. The subsequent attempts to censor Inner City Press are sketched here and have continued since,sometimes comically. But this is not fUNny. This is the UN. Watch this site.