Amid UN Press Freedom Claims Application by Inner City Press to Enter Will Be Litmus Test

by Matthew Russell Lee

UN GATE, June 19, 2023 –  On World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations of Antonio Guterres claimed to be in support of journalists being able to do their work without hinderance.

  But UN Global Communications chief Melissa Fleming put out a video of Guterres equating what he (and she) characterize as disinformation as the threat to press freedom, Guterres has banned Inner City Press from entering the UN since 2018, when it exposed the omission of links to bribery firm CEFC China Energy from his financial disclosure. 

On June 19, 2023, Inner City Press submitted an application to cover the UN General Assembly, letter here.

 Law firm Quinn Emanuel, on a pro bono basis, wrote to Fleming and the UN Correspondents Association (with state media of China on its board of directors) seeking a dialogue to reinstate Inner City Press.

There has been no answer to an appeal to Guterres head of security Gilles Michaud.   

But now, the application:

June 19, 2023

United Nations
SG Antonio Guterres & USG Melissa Fleming
Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit 
Attn: Chief Tal Mekel, et al. 
United Nations Headquarters, Room S-0250 New York, NY 10017  

Dear Mr. Mekel -

     I am writing to you three months before the UN General Assembly high level week as a journalist who after covering the United Nations for Inner City Press for ten years was roughed up and thrown out of the UN as I covered its Fifth (Budget) Committee on 3 July 2018 and have been denied all access since. There was no due process, no right to appeal, nothing. The Department's and MALU's lack of any content neutral accreditation rules, rule process including appeal rights for journalists, must also be addressed.

  For the upcoming 2023 UNGA High Level Week, I noticed that on June 5, 2023, UN Spokesperson Dujarric said "accreditation for the GA high-level meeting is open. Remember to accredit not so much yourselves but all of your colleagues. The deadline is 1 September; the GA does happen every September, so that should not be a surprise. September will see the SDGs summit, the [19th] of September is the official opening of high-level debate." This is being submitted exactly 3 months prior.

   You and others including but not limited to USG Fleming have been written to on my behalf by the Quinn Emanuel law firm, no response yet despite confirmation of receipt, see https://twitter.com/innercitypress/status/1424798120559403009 (video with 57,000 unique views).

Letter: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21889439-quinnemanueltounformrljuly2021

   I have a right to cover the UN, the Security Council, ECOSOC and General Assembly including this year's High Level week. For your information despite the Under Sec-Gen having assured the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression that during my exclusion my written questions would be answered, the questions have not been.

Nevertheless, here are some recent stories:

UN Sex For Jobs Scandal in DRC Has Officials Using UN Paid Sex Slaves Now Timbilla Tale
https://www.innercitypress.com/ungate10sexscandalmonuscoicp052123.html

UN Libya Mission Corruption Detailed in Whistleblower Letter Sent to Inner City Press
https://www.innercitypress.com/ungate1unsmiloiosicp051523.html

UN-Linked Fraudster Cary Yan Pled Guilty to Bribery now wants Time Served May 16 as Founder Free
https://www.innercitypress.com/sdny10buchwardcaryyanicp050823.html

On Ivorian Fuel Subsidy Cuts Inner City Press Asks IMF of Its Role It Cites Cash Transfers
https://www.innercitypress.com/imf1civicp051123.html

UN Staffer Got 15 Years For Raping 13 Women and Drugging 19, Elkorany Asks Delay to Pay
https://www.innercitypress.com/unabuse23elkoranyicp052323.html

As Burma NGOs Want UN Envoy Heyzer Fired SG Guterres Prepares to Go Even Worse
https://www.innercitypress.com/ungate38burmaguttedicpsdny053123.html

On Somalia IMF Tells Inner City Press HIPC CP Depends Creditors Agreeing on Debt Relief
https://www.innercitypress.com/imf1somaliaicp060823.html

In UN Kenya Diplomat Likened Africans to Monkeys, Romania Recalls Him
https://www.innercitypress.com/ungate1ugandaguttedicp053023.html

To UNSC Stakeout Ghana Invites Inner City Press But It Is Banned by UN
https://www.innercitypress.com/ungate1afakeoutbyghanaicp052423.html

There are many more, including daily coverage of the UN noon briefing.

  On 3 July 2018 as I covered the UN Budget Committee meetings as I have for years, I was physically roughed up by UN DSS Lt Ronald Dobbins and another who refused to give his name. On July 5 I was told I could not enter the UN and this remains the case, with no hearing and no appeal.

. That no due process decision has been raised in the UN Human Rights Council, twice; it has been the subject of letters to the UNSG from the Government Accountability Project and others and to DPI from the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression and on Human Rights Defenders: https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/32nd/public - OL 0TH 25.02.16 (15.2016).pdf.

This letter tracks and updates my 16 April 2018 request which was nearly-immediately granted (that time-frame and precedent is to be followed here); it is supplemented by a more than 10,497 signature petition that my resident correspondent accreditation and Inner City Press' long time shared office S-303 be immediately restored:https://www.change.org/p/unsg-antonio-guterres-we-demand-the-un-restore-inner-citypress-access-to-the-un-as-a-resident-correspondent/u/19932155