UN Withheld Execution Video Report from Louis Maxwell's Family, Sister Says

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 7 -- As questions mount about the UN's investigation of the murder of its staff member Louis Maxwell in Afghanistan last October, and even about how the UN has engaged with Maxwell's family, his sister has written Inner City Press a second letter. [Click here for the first.]


In it, she states that it was only in March when the UN told Maxwell's mother that his murder was caught on video tape. Of the tape, she notes as Inner City Press did that as Maxwell is shot and killed, the Afghan National forces next to him do not flinch or look up.


See cell phone video, here, esp. at Minute 1:01 to 1:04

Maxwell was executed, but as a cover up the UN is declaring that he was shot at long range, and that it was the long range shot that killed him. Despite Maxwell's own sister's request, the UN has not released any part of its Board of Inquiry report. His sister writes, if a "US soldier had done what they did to by brother that US soldier would have been court martialed."

On May 5, Inner City Press asked the UN spokesman:

Question: And on Afghanistan, Louis Maxwell’s sister has contacted me with some concerns about the investigation and the report, among others, saying and I just would like, I understand, I guess you’re not going to release the report, but maybe you can find out if this is the case of not. She contends that, in the fire-fight and afterwards, among other things, he was wearing shorts, which she thinks is inconsistent with him being mistaken as one of these attackers. She also says… It was unclear to me given the statements made from her of how much the UN is briefing Mr. Maxwell’s family. Does that include this sister, Ms. Muhammad? Because she is somehow not convinced by the reports.


Spokesperson: I don’t have here and now a list of the family members who have been briefed. I do know, and you also heard Ms. [Susana] Malcorra say that the family members have been briefed regularly throughout. Not just briefed, but supported, and spoken to, visited regularly, throughout this. As I say, precisely who, I do not know. So, we’d need to find out. I don’t know the answer to that right now.

[The Spokesperson later said that, among others, the United Nations has been in touch with Latanya Ginn, the mother of Louis Maxwell’s son.]

Here is Louis Maxwell's sister's second letter

Subject: Re: Louis Maxwell
From: aijalon
Date: Thu, May 6, 2010
To: Matthew Lee [at] innercitypress.com

Thank you for writing back to me and posing the question(s) to the UN... My brother has on either dark blue or black shorts. As a matter of fact he was wounded by the humvee and on all four when he is trying to stand back up his when he is shot. He was not in high ready mode but in low ready mode. His gun was not even drawn. I can even accept the fact of friendly fire for wounding him but his death I saw is murder. If a US soldier had done what they did to by brother that US soldier would have been court martialed.

Ms. Ellen Murphy who just retired from the UN, I must say has been the one who really stays in contact with my mother. They have only made one additional visit besides the funeral to see my parents and that was back in March when we were told about the fact there was a video showing my brother's death. Ms. Susana Malcorra just made contact with my mother in April.



UN's Ban in Kabul 2009, video not shown


I have e-mailed my concerns regarding my brother's death. At how the afghan guard who is standing in front of my brother when he is shot does not even flinch or even goes to high ready mode. So if they are saying or trying to say that an insurgent or threat is who shot my brother then why when the shots were fired the afghan police did not even draw his gun to his shoulder. I have even said that we the family deserve the right to know what is written in the board of inquiry report and honestly I would like to see the actually report but I have not been given a response to my request. I am very angry and hurt with how all of this going and know that it cannot bring back my brother but I want justice. Someone has to be the voice for Louis....

At the UN's May 7 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky to confirm or deny that the UN had delayed from at latest January until March in informing Mr. Maxwell's family about the video of his murder, and to explain it. Watch this site.