Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Diplomatic Immunity and Drone Bombing: Life Can't Get Any Cheaper in Pakistan







"Certainly a dangerous gift, power without kindness, inventive


slyness without understanding. The corruptedly cultivated human


being wants only to be able, to have, to rule, to enjoy, without


considering to what end he is able, what he has, and whether what


he calls enjoyment does not eventually turn into the killing of all


enjoyment."


----Herder, Letters for the Advancement of Humanity, #115.






Recently in Lahore, Pakistan a US private security contractor,


Raymond Davis, was arrested by Pakistani police for the murder


of two men. He was alone with an unregistered gun in a crowded


business district of the city. One of the victims was shot in the


back. The first few days after the alleged crime a tale was spun


that Davis had no connections to the US Embassy in Pakistan and


that he killed the two men out of self defense. When the ballistics


of the event were established and numerous witnesses stepped


forward the self defense argument evaporated. Strangely, after


guilt seemed more likely from forensics, the US Embassy reversed


it's early dismissal of Davis by stating he's a diplomat and deserves


immunity. Yesterday President Obama stated, falsely I might add,


that Davis should not be held for the crime of murder because of


International Standards on Diplomatic Immunity. First, immunity


does not cover all crimes committed by Diplomatic personnel. Grave


crimes, and we believe a double murder reaches this standard, do


not, by those same standards, merit the protections of Diplomatic


Immunity. Second, Diplomatic Immunity can only be enforced when


a diplomat is in the process of performing diplomatic functions. I


doubt Davis was attending a function illegally armed and shooting


two men. Can one foresee the tortuous casuistry in attempting to


state a double murder while alone in a business district was a


Diplomatic Function. Third, since when are private security


contractors labelled "diplomats"? And what of the early disavowals


of the alleged murderer as an "outside actor" not connected to the


US Government?


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The President of the United States is now trying to help an alleged


murderer escape due process in Pakistan. Ironic the US denies


due process and all rights of recourse, habeas corpus etc., when


when we suspect a Pakistani may be connected to the killing of


an American. The US drone bombing policy is based on a Legal


Standard that people alleged to be "terrorists" can be killed,


along with innocent bystanders, without any legal process observed.


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US policy explicitly states it can murder suspects in foreign lands


without any judicial consideration while US financed private security


contractors are allowed to murder people in the same land under


the protection of Diplomatic Immunity. This policy is consistent


in its standard of providing impunity for the lawless enforcement of


executions committed by the forces of US empire in foreign lands.


It also exposes the psychotic insistence that the US can murder


suspects without any standard of legality and can also evade any


kind of accountability when a contractor is caught murdering


people. A complete lack of fealty to any standard of International


Law is what the US demands. But when a single actor is caught


committing a grave crime they run for the protections of that


same disparaged International Law.


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Pakistan is on the brink of chaos. Senator John Kerry has been


sent to Pakistan to negotiate for Davis' release. If the Pakistani


gov't succumbs to US pressure there will be riots. Our supposed


ally will suffer a grave debasement in its people's eyes. If he is


released there will be unrest and the likelihood of a Coup by


the military. No future regime will be unable to cool the rage of


the people by aiding US interests concerning AF-PAK efforts.


The people are already deeply enraged by the escalating Drone


Bombing policy of President Obama inside Pakistan. Thousands


of women and children have been killed. Add an American


private security contractor granted immunity from judgement on


a murder charge and one more match will be thrown on dry grass.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Why would private security have anything to do with diplomatic immunity.. ever.

Irra Tional