In First Remarks in Sri Lanka, US John Kerry Quiet on War Crimes Probe, No Follow Through?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 2 -- When in Sri Lanka US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a thousand words of remarks after his counterpart Mangala Samaraweera the war crimes reports, withheld by the UN for at least six months and previously promised by Sri Lanka's government, were not addressed. Diplomacy may (often) be about emphasizing the positive, but where is the follow-through? Here is a transcription of Kerry's remarks:

"I want to thank the foreign minister for an extraordinarily generous... Mangala has given me a really generous and very personal welcome here today, and it is an historic moment, one that I’m very proud and pleased to be able to share with him. And I’m grateful for his friendship and for the invitation, which he offered me when he came to Washington, to come here today in order to renew the relationship between the United States of America and Sri Lanka.

This is a paradise, a very beautiful island nation. It has enormous assets, wonderful, extraordinary people, and great, great promise for the future. And I pledged to him and to his delegation here today that the United States wants to work with Sri Lankans and help in any way we can to shape the future that the people of Sri Lanka want.

The foreign minister and I last met in February in Washington, and today we talked about the enormous progress that Sri Lanka has made in just a few short months – and progress that can be measured: progress on restoring democratic institutions; progress on creating more accountable governance; the passage of the 19th amendment, in which the president kept his promise to reduce the powers of the presidency and move them more to the people through a broader sharing, is an example of that; progress in combatting corruption; and progress on reconciliation that can lead to a much more enduring peace and to shared prosperity for all Sri Lankans.

So I am very mindful that as I stand here in Sri Lanka, more than 10 years after the tsunami on December of 2004, so many people are suffering in Nepal from the devastating earthquake that struck one week ago. And I want to commend the government and the people of Sri Lanka for quickly sending response teams to Kathmandu. The United States is also mobilizing a major response, but it’s indication of the sensitivity of this government and its sense of responsibility and its desire to be a part of the world community that it responded so quickly.

It is tragedies like the Asian tsunami, of the Nepal earthquake – or the Nepal earthquake – that underscore our need to work together to support one another in times of crisis, yes, but also in times of opportunity. And this is a time of opportunity for Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka today, I think many of us see a moment of extraordinary promise. The foreign minister recently gave a rousing speech to parliament, and I was particular inspired by his statement that the true safeguarding of sovereignty can be achieved only by fulfilling our obligations to our people and by preserving and upholding the multiethnic, multilingual, multi-religious nature of our society.

He emphasized as well the importance of working closely together with other countries and with international organizations. Already we have seen those words actually backed up by actions. That’s what makes this government important, and it’s what makes this government different. Sri Lanka is now playing a role on everything from maritime security and trade to cyber issues and climate change. And I am particularly grateful to the foreign minister for hosting an event on cyber-crime and for taking steps to become the first country in South Asia to accede to the Budapest convention.

But I know that you also have a tremendous amount of work to do here at home. You are working on creating an enduring peace and you’re working on providing prosperity for all of your people. Many challenges and difficult decisions obviously still lie ahead, and we talked about many of them this morning. But one thing that struck me was the readiness of this government to open its doors and to open its minds to different ideas and to new and more effective and efficient ways of doing things.

One thing about this Sri Lankan Government seems very clear: the president and the prime minister and the foreign minister are not afraid of tackling tough issues. They’re willing to make difficult decisions and

they are committed to keeping their promises. We’ve seen that with the 100-day Plan. And as the government heads into the parliamentary elections this summer, Sri Lankans will continue to rely on their tremendous leadership and commitment.

So I am here today because I want to say to the people of Sri Lanka that in this journey to restore your democracy the American people will stand with you. We intend to broaden and to deepen our partnership with you. And to that end, the foreign minister and I agreed to establish an annual partnership dialogue between our two governments. I’ve also asked teams from across our government to mobilize quickly in order to provide technical assistance as the Government of Sri Lanka embraces these important reforms. And we will soon have members of that team from the Treasury Department and from the Commerce Department come here in order to work with the government on the economic measures that could be taken to provide for greater investment and greater growth. And as you know, President Obama recently nominated one of our most talented Foreign Service officers – Atul Keshap – to be our ambassador to Sri Lanka.

So Mangala, thank you again for a very generous welcome. These are very important days here in Sri Lanka. And all of us need to rely on each other and we need to work together cooperatively. That’s exactly how we’re going to forge a stronger friendship, and that’s also how we’re going to forge a stronger partnership and an even better future for both of our countries.

What strikes me about Sri Lanka and the United States – and it got lost in the last years – is that the truth is we want the same thing for our people. We actually share the same values. We have the same aspirations for better jobs, for education, for health, for prosperity, for peace, for stability, for reconciliation. Those are the things that bring us together; that’s what brings me here today. And I’m very proud to be here to help renew the partnership and the friendship between the people of the United States and the people of Sri Lanka. Thank you, my friend."

  And certainly not only the current Sri Lankan government, but those involved in war crimes including the killing of tens of thousands of people in 2009, are thankful for these type of remarks. We'll have more on this.

Back on February 26, 2015, nine days after the UN Human Rights Council under Joachim Rucker granted HCHR Zeid's request to withhold the already delayed report on war crimes in Sri Lanka, the UN added Jaffna as a stop to the Sri Lanka visit by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's highest political official Jeffrey Feltman.

  That came two days after Inner City Press asked if Feltman would go to Jaffna, site of protests of the delay, and was told "Colombo only." 

  But when Inner City Press asked the UN on both March 3 and again on March 4 if Feltman while in Jaffna had received what's called the genocide resolution, and what he will do with it, the question went unanswered for a week.

  Until on March 10 when Feltman came to do a too-rare sit down press conference. Inner City Press asked Feltman three questions on Sri Lanka, including about the genocide resolution and deferral of the investigation report. Video here, from Minute 12:19

 On this last, Feltman said the delay keeps the pressure one -- NOT the position the UN takes for example with the African Union's report on South Sudan. This incongruity, like other incongruities of the UN on Sri Lanka, have not been explained. 

 On the genocide resolution, he said "I was handed the packet of material but it was not the genocide resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council" but rather the type of issues of the north as represented by their elected would like to see included in any credible accountability mechanism. Video here. Really? We'll have more on this.

  Here is the video of March 3; the March 4 video has yet to be provided and the transcript is not online. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, when asked again, said that Feltman has been asked, if he briefs the Security Council, to come to the Council's stakeout. On no notice? And when might Feltman brief the Security Council about Sri Lanka?

  Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric if Feltman is conveying a weakening of the call for an international inquiry (video here and see below), and Dujarric said to watch what Feltman says in his lone Colombo press availability. How?

  (There's this, from Jaffna, by Feltman's interlocutor. What's wrong with the UN?)

  In any event, since the decision was made by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, how can Feltman be making any representations about what will happen next?

   With the UN yet to send out any of the promised read-outs, even as it sends them out about other countries, this has been reported:

“The Under Secretary General for Political Affairs of the UN Jeffrey Feltman who arrived in the island today on a 4 day official visit met with President Maithripala Sirisena and Acting Foreign Minister Ajith P Perera. Following the discussions Acting Foreign Minister Ajith P Perera expressed these views during which he said the calls for an international inquiry against Sri Lanka are weakening.”

  Inner City Press directly asked for the UN's response to this last, but by noon on March 2, nothing. So it went and asked the question.

 On Friday, February 27, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: on this trip by Mr. Feltman to Sri Lanka, I wanted to know:  can you confirm he's meeting with the Tamil National Alliance… that's tomorrow?  And will there be any readouts?

Spokesman Dujarric:  We talked to our colleagues in DPA [Department of Political Affairs] to make sure we can get some readouts e-mailed over the weekend as they happen.

   But more than 24 hours later, after Feltman's meeting with the TNA, there was no read-out. 

  Meanwhile it was reported under the headline "UN clarifies the delay" that "the UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, told the TNA that the release of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Inquiry on Sri Lanka (OISL) report on alleged war crimes in the Island was postponed to September this year following the assurance given by the new Government, that it would conduct an internal investigation under UN supervision."

  So since UN DPA is tweeting about Feltman's trip, Inner City Pressasked in this same medium, "Press Q: So, did government promise an 'investigation under UN supervision'?"

  So far, no answer. The UN is UNresponsive - click here for that,including with regard to the UN's Censorship Alliance - but we'll stay on it.

  Rucker, speaking in Geneva, has claimed that this delay was "very rational" in a "relatively unique" case. Are all forms of impunity and justice delayed "relatively unique"?

  On February 24, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said:

"Mr. Feltman will then travel to Sri Lanka on Saturday.  There, he plans to meet with senior officials of the Government of Sri Lanka, political parties and civil society groups. This will be his first visit to Sri Lanka, and he looks forward to discussing with Sri Lankan leaders various issues of mutual concern."

  Inner City Press immediately asked Ban Ki-moon's Spokesman Stephane Dujarric if Feltman will at least visit Jaffna in the north, site of protests of UN High Commissioner Prince Zeid's recommendation of the day:

Inner City Press: I want to ask in advance whether he’s going to go only to Colombo or Jaffna where there were pretty big protests over the weekend against the decision to defer that human rights report.  I’m wondering what’s the relationship between his trip and that… the process supposedly in six months to…

Spokesman Dujarric:  My understanding is that he will only go to Colombo to meet with various people.  We’ll get you, as the meetings happen, we’ll try to get you readouts.

 Now, Jaffna has been added. But what will the read-outs be? We'll have more on this

  Back on February 13 after Sri Lanka's new government spoke of doing another local investigation into war crimes in 2009, and asking for a suspension of the UN Human Rights Council process, Inner City Press went to Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera's meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

  No other media at the UN attended; only the UN's own in-house UN Photo and UN TV. But accompanying Mangala Samaraweera were outgoing Ambassador Palitha Kohona and others. Video here.

  Ban Ki-moon, before Inner City Press was whisked out of the meeting, told Mangala Samaraweera he had met him after the tsunami - that is, when Ban was a South Korean diplomat.

  On February 17, after High Commissioner Prince Zeid recomended and got for Sri Lanka a six month deferral of action, Ban's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, asked of Shavendra Silva by IPS, said 

"the Secretary-General is aware that the new administration is planning to set up a domestic accountability mechanism and will be carefully assessing developments.  The Secretary-General, as you're aware, met with the Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka last Friday, 13 February, and stressed the importance of Sri Lanka to show firm and clear commitment to accountability, reconciliation and human rights.  He also encouraged the Government to engage continuously with the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Advancing accountability, like other parts of the post-war agenda in Sri Lanka, will lay the basis for the country to make further progress on peace, democracy and development.  The UN remains committed to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to address the postwar agenda.  The Secretary-General is also aware of reactions from various communities to the decision by the Human Rights Council, and the Secretary-General will positively engage with the new Government and support its efforts."

  This is shameful all around, in light of talk of accountability.

  Last week, the UN's Oscar Fernandez Taranco met the US State Department's Nisha Biswal. Inner City Press asked if it was about Bangladesh, and was told, "in part." Taranco was at Ban's meeting with Samaraweera, here. So was Sri Lanka and the deferral request the other part? Watch this site.

Back on February 12 Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman for the UN's position. Video here. 

  First, Inner City Press asked whether Sri Lanka's Palitha Kohona is leaving the UN:

Inner City Press: yesterday, he met with Ambassador Kohona of Sri Lanka.  I couldn't tell if that was a farewell call or not.

Spokesman Dujarric:  It was indeed a farewell call.

Inner City Press:  And did the issue of not pursuing the Human Rights Council investigation into Sri Lanka arise?

Spokesman Dujarric:  It was, indeed, a farewell call.  I mean, the Secretary-General's position on the, on the human rights investigation is unchanged.  He's obviously aware that the new administration is considering setting domestic accountability mechanisms and will be carefully assessing these developments.  The Secretary-General has stressed the importance of Sri Lanka establishing credible mechanisms that meet international standards.  Advancing accountability, like other parts of the post-war agenda in Sri Lanka, will lay the basis for the country to make further progress on peace, democracy and development.  The UN stands ready, as always, to support Sri Lanka's efforts to address the post-war agenda as we have consistently affirmed.

  It's a question that when raised, here, to the US State Department went so far unanswered. New foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera is set to meet with Ban on February 13. Watch this site. 

  Back on January 12 the UN said that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon made this call:

"The Secretary-General congratulated President Sirisena’s election and the successful conclusion of the presidential election. The Secretary-General and President Sirisena discussed the President’s 100-day plan and Sri Lanka’s post-war agenda. The Secretary-General affirmed continuous support by the UN to Sri Lanka."

  That is, the UN's read-out of Ban's call had no mention of accountability or of the UN Human Rights Council inquiry into the bloodbath on the beach in 2009. We'll have more on this.

 After Mahinda Rajapaksa conceded defeat but before 10:30 pm on January 8 in Washington, US Secretary of State issued a statement, below. 

  Inner City Press published it, and asked the UN for its comment. Told to expect one in the AM, New York time, Inner City Press noted, the earlier the better. Twelve hours later, there was nothing.

  So Inner City Press asked again at the noon briefing on January 9, after new President Sirisena's inauguration. UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said the UN welcomes the transfer of power, then later in the briefing read out this statement:

"The Secretary-General congratulates the people of Sri Lanka on the successful conclusion of the presidential election, and welcomes the constitutional transfer of power.

"The Secretary-General applauds the Sri Lankan Elections Commission for its professionalism in ensuring a peaceful and credible election. He also commends the efforts of the candidates, including in particular outgoing President Mahinda Rajapaksa, law enforcement agencies and civil society for upholding and respecting democratic governance.

"The Secretary-General looks forward to working with President Maithripala Sirisena and the people of Sri Lanka. He affirms the continuous support of the United Nations for development, reconciliation, political dialogue and accountability in Sri Lanka."

  Inner City Press immediately asked Haq if what this reference to accountability portends for the UN inquiry into the events in 2009. We'll have more on this.

  Amnesty International has said that "Sri Lanka has for years resisted all international efforts to investigate the conflict years, and instead relied on domestic investigation bodies that toed the government line. This has to end – the new government should cooperate fully with the UN investigation.”

   Watch this site.

  In other possible routes to accountability, talk of seeking justice in US courts as to several joint American citizens in Team Rajapaksa - or on the team during the 2009 "Bloodbath on the Beach" -- has picked up. Some team members have reportedly already left the country: we'll have more on this.

 

   

On Central African Republic Rapes, UN's OHCHR Praises French 9-Month Probe, Ignores Ladsous, Kompass' Previous Leaking to Morocco about Western Sahara

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 1 -- French soldiers in the Central African Republic allegedly  sexually abused children, and after more than nine months, no action has been taken. On May 1 the spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zaid, Rupert Colville, sought to explain or bolster the reputations of the Office, and of France. Here's from the OHCHR "Briefing Notes," with clarifying annotations by Inner City Press:

"In response to a question about the investigation of sexual abuse of children in the Central African Republic, the OHCHR spokesperson had the following reply..  This is being investigated by the French authorities. I understand they have now said publicly that that investigation started on 31 July last year."

  Inner City Press notes, if despite the clarity of the charges France has not brought charges against a single soldier in the nine months it has supposedly been investigating with "no mercy" (President Hollande's phrase), why is the UN human rights office so openly defending the French Army?

Colville continued: "We are extremely glad that the French authorities are investigating this and that they have said they plan to call for the harshest punishments available under the law for anyone found guilty. This is incredibly important... We have been cooperating with the French authorities and will continue to do so to the best of our ability."

Inner City Press: This while the UN Peacekeepin mission MINUSCA, run by Frenchman Herve Ladsous, continues "cooperating" with the same French Army forces accused of the rapes (while Ladsous refuses to cooperate with the Congolese Army in military operations against the Hutu FDLR militia).

OHCHR continued: "The second investigation is internal, and is being carried out by OIOS at the request of the High Commissioner.  A statement was made about this by the Secretary-General’s Spokesperson in New York on Wednesday."

But as Inner City Press has reported, Anders Kompass was ALREADY under OIOS investigation for leaking information about Western Sahara to Morocco. Colville know about this and has answered other journalists' questions about it. But it is not mentioned in his May 1 statement. 

  That OHCHR was already informed of Kompass' leaking to governments makes them negligent, it seems, in any similar leaking to France of this information. We'll have more on this.

Colville on May 1 continued: "We are extremely concerned that in recent days copies of this preliminary compilation of unredacted interviews with these children appear to have been given to journalists, possibly with the names still unredacted, and we urge any media organization or other individual that has this document not to circulate that information any further."

   Inner City Press notes that the impact of this is to say to media, do not check into the UN's and France's "processing" of these child rape charges. Do not speak with parents. Trust us. But would such trust be justified?

Finally Colville tried to clean up the reputation of UN Peacekeeping -- which works with these French forces -- and of France, saying:

I would also like to clarify a number of elements that have been widely misreported.First, this does not concern UN peacekeepers. The French force in CAR was not under the umbrella of the UN.  This begs the question: Why would OHCHR - or indeed the wider UN - try to protect French troops accused of such odious acts against children by sitting on such information?

Inner City Press answers: Why indeed. UN Peacekeeping has been run four time in a row by citizens of France, a P5 country which chooses the Secretary General who chooses the High Commissioner. And Ladsous' MINUSCA does work with these same French forces now. Suddenly Colville omits the supposed "Human Rights Due Diligence Policy."

"Secondly, there is the timeline. This will obviously be clarified during the investigation.  But it is incorrect to say this collection of interviews was submitted on 24 June. That was the date the last interview with one of the children took place.  As far as we are aware at this point – and I stress this remains to be established as fact by the investigation – the document containing the interviews was apparently sent to Geneva in mid-July. And, as you are aware, the French have said they started their investigation on 31 July."

 And no one has been been charged, in nine months in counting. This is a new low. We'll have more on this.

On April 30, Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq when, if ever, the UN was going to make public its report -- which it did not even share with the CAR authorities, only France. Video here.

From the UN's transcript:

Inner City Press: if Mr. [Anders] Kompass had not given the unredacted report to the French and if it had not appeared in the Guardian, when was this ever going to be made public?  What… can you describe what the UN's process… once it hears testimony from nine-year-old children that they were raped by soldiers in an area in which it has a mission, how is it taken this long?  What is the normal process once you have such a report?  Would it ever have been made public [inaudible]

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  The normal process is to hand it over to the authorities who are in a position to prosecute and that was in fact been done and they have in fact been prosecuting.  Of course, their investigation, their own work in this is continuing, and we respect the ability of them to turn… to continue with that investigation.  Regarding that… the handling of evidence, as you know, we've… we said yesterday… and I'm not going to go over all of that again, what our concerns were, but it has to do with another thing that is a key priority of the United Nations, which is to say the protection of the sort of people who place their trust in us come forward with vital information as witnesses or as victims or as investigators, and we want to make sure that no harm comes to those people.  And that's also an important priority to keep in mind.

Inner City Press: The question becomes — so what's the UN's usual procedure if it receives allegations of rape of children, it provides it to a country.  How long does it give a country… when you say prosecution, has anyone been charged in the nine months since the information was provided, anyone?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  That's not a question for me but for the French authorities.  They are ones that are conducting the prosecution.

Inner City Press:  Once you provide information about child rape by soldiers to a country, if no one is charged, when do you go public?  Was it just a fluke that the Guardian published it, or would you ever have gone public with it?  That's really now question.  Is there a procedure for the UN to say children say they were raped and the country has not done anything?  When does that happen?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Yes, at some point, the relevant information comes out, but we also have to respect the ability of the authorities to conduct an investigation without our interference in their investigative process.

We don't try to interfere with countries' investigative processes.  In the meantime, what we did through our human rights office in Bangui is conduct a human rights investigation in the late spring of 2014.  That was in response to serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of children by French military personnel.

We… we tried to make sure that that will be followed up on, and in fact it is being followed up on.  In terms of when it's being made public, I believe the French authorities have their own way of processing this, and you really need to ask them the question of how they disclose this sort of information as they go about this.  But certainly we're not trying to prejudice or interfere with an investigation.  For us, the main priority is accountability.  The main priority is to make sure that whoever committed this, if… if there were crimes committed, that justice is done and that the people who committed these… these alleged crimes are held accountable.

Inner City Press:  Is there a deadline for a country to actually prosecute somebody once they're given information such as this because you treat other countries differently?  For example, in the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] has said we won't work with the army because they didn't do certain judicial things.  So what's the rule?  Is it nine months, a year, a year and a half?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  This country is in fact doing judicial things and we're respecting that process.  Ultimately for us the important point is to make sure justice is done, and we'll continue it follow up on that.  But they are in fact going ahead with that process.

 Setting aside for now whether that's true or not, what about Equatorial Guinea?

  On April 30 prosecutors in CAR's capital Bangui said they were never told about the allegations or report by the UN. What is the UN's function, when the rape of CAR children is reported only to France, and not to CAR? 

  Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq about the process, how long the UN would wait -- without answer. Haq spoke positively of French president Francois Hollande now saying "no mercy" to the perpetrators. After nine months?

  Now it emerges that troops for example from Equatorial Guinea are also named in the UN report. Was Equatorial Guinea also told by the UN (and not CAR)?  This is a cover-up, in more ways than one.

  Herve Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row in charge of UN Peacekeeping, has made an announcement from Bangui: that he will deploy drones there. 

But who will get the information, and what will be covered up, like the rapes?

The UN's own in-house organ UN News Center, not mentioning the rapes of course, quotes Ladsous that "the arrival of attack helicopters and drones would help." 

 The story is more complex. Inner City Press has asked the UN questions, below.

  Yesterday's Guardian report focused on a UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights staffer Anders Kompass -- who some media insist on identifying as an "aid worker" -- saying he is being retaliated against for sharing this information with the French.

  As Inner City Pres previously reported, there is more to this story and to Kompass, in the public record. Kompass shared information with Morocco, to undermine human rights reporting in Western Sahara. Inner City Press reported on Kompass and this in December; the leaked documents are online.  

 What is the relationship between the two stories, beyond the UN's near total lack of transparency and standards? 

  On April 29, the UN came out with a statement that Kompass was suspended with pay for leaking a report to French authorities with the name of victims and witnesses. Inner City Press asked UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq these questions, here

Inner City Press: since this report was given in mid-2014, one, can the U.N. say whether any of the alleged perpetrators have been disciplined?  It's almost a year at this point.  So you're saying they're looking into it now.  I'm staring now at an e-mail of Rupert Colville of that office who is asking about Anders Compass in December in connection with the leaking of information to Morocco about Western Sahara, which was revealed in these Moroccan leaked cables.  And I wanted to know, when was he suspended?  And what's the relationship of these two? At the time, Mr. Colville said there was an OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] investigation of the leaking regarding Western Sahara.  So the question is: are there two investigations?  Is there one investigation?  And can you tell us on what date Mr. Compass was suspended? Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Some of these details will, of course, have to wait.  The actual investigation that the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights is doing into this.  So I would wait for that to be completed.  I am aware of a separate issue involving the Office for the… for Internal Oversight Services.  But that's… that is, I believe, on a different matter.  But I'll have… but, of course, right now, I need for those particular things to be finished so I can comment on them.  Otherwise, I don't have the details of either of those investigations while they're underway.  So I'd expect your patience while we go through that. Regarding the case of Mr. Compass and his… Compass and his start date, like I said, he's been placed on administrative leave with full pay pending the results of the investigation.  Regarding what you said about the French and any follow-up action, I think that's a question to ask the French authorities.  Like I said, we have been made aware by the French that they are conducting their own investigation into this. Inner City Press: But since the current UN mission works with the French authorities in a cooperative context and you have this human rights due diligence policy, doesn't the UN have some duty to know what the French authorities have done? Deputy Spokesman:  Well, regarding human rights due diligence, it's our human rights people who have investigating this.  And we're following up on that. So we’re… Question:  I know. Deputy Spokesman:  These are not UN forces.  These are forces under the control of… Question:  The policy covers UN working with outside forces that may have committed human rights violations.  And the question is, what has the UN done to make sure that these rapes and abuses didn't take place-- Deputy Spokesman:  I just read out a statement stating what we have done. Question:  Are you still working with the same forces that are accused of the rapes? Deputy Spokesman:  And as far as that goes, like I said, you would be well advised to ask the French how they're following up, but they are also conducting their own investigation, and that… like I said, the substance of this is very serious, and we do expect that there would be follow-up on that. 

 But has there been? The head of UN Peacekeeping, former French diplomat Herve Ladous, has invoked the UN's stated human rights due diligence policy to not work with the Congolese Army in combating the Hutu FDLR rebel. But apparently no invocation, or even inquiry under, the UN's human rights due diligence policy as to the army of his native France. This is outrageous.

Here's their statement:

The United Nations, through its Office of Human Rights in Bangui, conducted a human rights investigation in late spring of 2014, following serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of children by French military personnel, prior to the establishment of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Central African Republic. The resulting report was provided to an external party in mid-July 2014 in unedited form, which included the identities of victims, witnesses and investigators.  The unedited version was, by a staff member’s own admission, provided unofficially by that staff member to the French authorities in late July, prior to even providing it to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) senior management.  This constitutes a serious breach of protocol, which, as is well known to all OHCHR officials, requires redaction of any information that could endanger victims, witnesses and investigators. There is also an internal investigation into the handling of this matter by OHCHR, including the manner in which the confidential preliminary findings were initially communicated to external actors, and whether the names of victims, witnesses and investigators were conveyed as part of that document.  One staff member has been placed on administrative leave with full pay pending the results of the investigation. Our preliminary assessment is that such conduct does not constitute whistleblowing.

We'll have more on this - and on the behavior in CAR of MINUSCA, run by Frenchman Herve Ladsous.

 Inner City Press back on November 21, 2014, asked the New York spokesman for High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid for

"an update on action on the leaked cables, related to Western Sahara, involving current OHCHR official Anders Kompass and one, previously head of OHCHR's office in NY, who's just left. What steps has OHCHR taken on the cables / issues?"

  Now three weeks later there has been no answer. from the OHCHR spokesperson in New York. But we now publish this response from OHCHR Geneva spokesperson Rupert Colville to similar questions:

From: Rupert Colville [at] ohchr.org
Date: Friday 12 December 2014
Subj: Investigation leaked cables Western Sahara and OHCHR

The investigation is being carried out, at our request, by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) in New York, which is an operationally independent office that assists the Secretary-General in fulfilling his internal oversight responsibilities. While the investigation is under way, there is nothing else I can say on the matter.

  Colville was asked, among other things, “Is Anders Kompass still in active duty during this investigation? Who is leading this investigation?”

  The UN system often uses the pendency of an investigation as a way to wait for the “problem” to go away. As the publication Tel Quel, here, has noted, many in the media are not covering the leaks.

  Relatedly, the leaks are now being covered up or censored. Two recent uploads, about Morocco and the African Group at the UN, were put on “ filefactory.com” -- then taken down after, the site says, a complaint under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

  This is a new trend -- attempt to use copyright law to take down leaked documents. Reuters, for example, filed a “for the record” complaint with the UN trying to get Inner City Press thrown out - then, when the “for the record” complaint was leaked and published, conned Google into blocking it from Search, calling it copyrighted. Click here for that.

So that media uses or abuses copyright to censor its own “for the record” complaint filed with the UN, and does not cover these new leaks about Western Sahara, Morocco, and the UN. This is a new trend. Watch this site.

  In the above, the referenced former head of OHCHR's New York office is Senegal's Bacre Waly Ndiaye, noted Tijania Sufi. The cables reveal a deep scandal in the UN system. Now OHCHR in Geneva is saying it will not comment until an investigation, Inner City Press understands by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, is complete. But there is no indication that will be publish. This is one of the ways the UN covers up.

 There other ways, beyond Western Sahara. On rapes in DR Congo by Army units the UN support, Ladsous refused to answer Press questions for months.  Video here of then and now spokesman pulling microphone away from Inner City Press. These practices are being opposed by the new Free UN Coalition for Access.

 Now on UN Peacekeeping's November 9 press release covering up mass rape in Thabit in Darfur, Ladsous has not answered any questions; UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on November 21 told Inner City Press the UN won't comment on leaks. The Western Sahara leaks are so extensive that despite a seeming media blackout by Western wire services, they will not go away. 

While Ladsous is not the only UN official exposed by the cables, his extraordinary campaign of refusing Press questions, to the point of physically blocking Press filming (Vine here), as well as a DPKO to OHCHR connection, make him key to the case. As to MINURSO, Ladsous is blamed for the non-deployment of Bolduc. 

  Back on November 14 Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq about Bolduc and an investigation of leaks in Geneva of which sources tell it. Video here.

  On November 5, Inner City Press reported on leaked cables showing among other things the UN's Ladsous undermining MINURSO on the issue of human rights, and improper service of Morocco by Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights staffers Anders Kompass and Bacre Waly Ndiaye.

    Since then, along with anonymous death threats, Inner City Press has received additional information including of a UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation of Anders Kompers and Bacre Waly Ndiaye.

  On November 14, Inner City Press asked the UN's Haq, per UN transcript:

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  You had a question on Western Sahara?

Inner City Press: It's a two-pronged question.  What Stéphane [Dujarric] said earlier in the week about Kim Bolduc, the new SRSG [Special Representative of the Secretary-General].  I wanted to just kind of confirm it.  In reading it, does that mean that she has never has been allowed in?  And, if so, where has she been since August?  What is the plan to resolve that?  And I also wanted to ask you about regarding the cables that I base the initial question on.  Can you confirm that OIOS [Office for Internal Oversight Services] is conducting an investigation at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on at least two staff members who apparently leaked this information to the Moroccan Government?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  On that, I cannot confirm that.  As you know, the OIOS conducts its work independently.  At some point, once they have completed their work, they apprise us [inaudible].  But I wouldn't be aware of any work that is ongoing.  Beyond that, regarding Kim Bolduc, as you know, both Christopher Ross and Kim Bolduc briefed the Security Council on 27 October.  And at that point, the Security Council reiterated its desire, first of all, to see Ambassador Ross's facilitation resume and reiterated its desire to see Kim Bolduc be able to take up her duties at the helm of MINURSO [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara] as soon as possible.  And we look forward to the resumption of Mr. Ross's visit to the region and also to the deployment of Kim Bolduc.

Inner City Press:  But is she currently, I mean, she is the SRSG?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  She is the SRSG, but she has not been able to function with her MINURSO duties in-country.

  In-country, eh? We'll have more on this. And on this: Inner City Press is informed that while Ladsous claims to have performed as required in connection with the appointment of Bolduc, even on this he is accused of failing to do his duty, as on many other parts of his job. Video compilation here; recent Vine here.

   Document leaks from inside the UN have identified improper service of Morocco, on the question of Western Sahara, by a staffer at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Anders Kompass.

  Inner City Press has waited to report on them; the spokesperson for the High Commissioner has today said his office is aware the leaked cables, which contain the perspective of certain diplomats, and that the situation is being investigated to clarify the facts.”

  Whatever the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, now under Jordan's Prince Zeid, does about the content of the leaks, more will be required in the UN Secretariat in New York -- particularly at the top of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which runs the MINURSO mission in Western Sahara.

  The cables show that Herve Ladsous, a long-time French diplomat now the boss of DPKO and thus of MINURSO, was flacking for Morocco on the supposed quality of its human rights mechanisms. This directly undercuts the MINURSO mission, for which Ladsous is supposed to be working.