News
Monday, January 31, 2011
Detained American enjoys diplomatic immunity: US
ISLAMABAD: Following the swift rejection by Pakistan of a US plea to release its detained citizen, the US embassy in the country has stressed that the under-investigation diplomat enjoys diplomatic immunity under the Geneva Convention, which should be adhered to. A handout issued by the embassy on Sunday read, “The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) provides diplomatic immunity to all diplomats around the world. Article 37 of the Vienna Convention specifically extends the same criminal immunity that diplomats have to members of the ‘technical and administrative staff’ of an Embassy. An embassy spokesperson asserted that the US diplomat detained in Lahore was a member of the US embassy’s technical and administrative staff, therefore, he was entitled to full criminal immunity and could not be lawfully arrested or detained in accordance with the convention. staff report
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk