Saturday, January 29, 2011

US embassy demands immediate release of Davis


US consulate employee Davis is escorted by police and officials after appearing before a judge in Lahore. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: 
The United States embassy in Islamabad on Saturday called for the immediate release of Raymond Davis, the US diplomat who was arrested for gunning down two men in Lahore on Thursday.

The US embassy said the diplomat was unlawfully detained in Lahore.
“When detained, the US diplomat identified himself to police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the embassy said in a statement.
It added, “Local police and senior authorities failed to observe their legal obligation to verify his status with either the US consulate general in Lahore or the US embassy in Islamabad”.
On Friday, the US Ambassador Cameron Munter reportedly to have met Foreign Secretary Salman Basheer, requesting the federal government’s intervention in the case of the US official.
Speaking to the media yesterday (Friday), Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Davis will not be given VIP protocol and will be sent to jail after interrogation. He said that no one was above the law and that the Punjab government was taking action under its legislation.

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