女外交官在美被捕激怒印度 美國務卿出面表示遺憾

Secretary of State John Kerry called India's National security adviser on Wednesday to express his regret after one of India's top diplomats was arrested on fraud charges and strip-searched in New York City, creating a rift between the two countries.

一位印度女外交官在美遭逮捕和脫衣搜身，讓印度舉國憤怒。綜合外國媒體12月19日報道，爲防止事態升級，美國國務卿克里18日專程致電印度國家安全顧問梅農，對此事表示“遺憾和關切”。

Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade is accused of submitting false documents to get a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper, an Indian national she allegedly paid less than $3 per hour. In an email to Indian newspapers published on Wednesday, Khobragade said American police did cavity searches on her after she was arrested and imprisoned on Dec. 12. Lawmakers in New Delhi called her alleged treatment "despicable" and "barbaric," and responded by taking amenities away from the U.S. Embassy there. Advertise | AdChoicesOn Wednesday afternoon, State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement that Kerry had called Indian National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon to "express his regret, as well as his concern that we not allow this unfortunate public issue to hurt our close and vital relationship with India." "The secretary understands very deeply the importance of enforcing our laws and protecting victims, and, like all officials in positions of responsibility inside the U.S. government,expects that laws will be followed by everyone here in our country," the statement said.

本月12日，39歲的印度駐紐約副總領事柯布拉加德在紐約被捕，她被控涉嫌簽證欺詐和拖欠傭人工資。獲保釋後，柯布拉加德發送電子郵件給印度媒體，控訴她被捕期間遭受 “侮辱”。“儘管我不斷提出外交豁免權，但他們置之不理。我仍然一再被銬上手銬、脫光搜身、體腔搜查，與普通罪犯和癮君子在一起，我不得不承認，這令我數度崩潰。但一想到我代表着我的同事和國家，必須保持驕傲和自信，我才能恢復鎮靜、保持尊嚴。”柯布拉加德在電郵中寫道。 儘管美國檢方堅稱自己做得並不過分、在逮捕羈押過程中做到最大限度的“小心和謹慎”，但印度從政府到民間對這一事件表現得怒不可遏，甚至展開“報復”，例如禁止美國外交官繼續使用印度機場的外交特別通道、暫停受理美國駐印大使館進口自用貨物的通關申請，17日還拆除了旨在保護美國駐印使館免受自殺式炸彈襲擊的混泥土路障。

"It is also particularly important to Secretary Kerry that foreign diplomats serving in the United States are accorded respect and dignity just as we expect our own diplomats should receive overseas."Khobragade, 39, was arrested and handcuffed while dropping her daughter off at school, then held in a cell with drug addicts until she posted $250,000 bail, according to Indian wrote of her arrest, "I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, in a holdup with common criminals and drug addicts, were all being imposed upon me, despite my incessant assertions of immunity."

爲避免兩國間紛爭進一步加劇，美國國務院18日通報稱，國務卿克里當天與梅農通電話，對柯布拉加德被捕一事表示“遺憾和關切”，“他強調我們不會允許這一不幸事件傷害美印緊密而重要的關係”。 “作爲兩個女孩的父親，同時與柯布拉加德歲數相仿，國務卿瞭解柯布拉加德被捕一事的敏感性。”美國國務院副發言人哈夫說，“正如美國希望自己的外交官在國外受到尊重一樣，外國外交官在美國也應得到尊重和尊嚴。在克里看來，這一點尤其重要。” 與此同時，美國副國務卿謝爾曼也告知印度外交部長鬍爾西德，稱美方希望印度能夠“繼續履行東道國政府的責任”，保護當地美國外交人員和機構的安全。

U.S. Marshals confirmed in a statement that she was strip-searched following "standard arrestee intake procedures."Khobragade is accused of visa fraud — lying to the State Department about the terms under which she sponsored a visa for a woman from India to come to the U.S. and work for her as a babysitter and housekeeper. Foreign diplomats and dconsular officials are allowed to get visas for people from their home countries to work for them in the U.S., but the employees must be paid the U.S. minimum age and can't be forced to work excessively. According to the criminal complaint filed against her, Khobragade told the U.S. Embassy in India that her housekeeper would receive $4,500 a month and would work normal hours, at a rate of $9.75 an hour (which does not add up). But, after the woman was given a visa to come to the U.S., prosecutors say Khobragade told the woman to sign a second contract — which the U.S. was not told about — paying her $3.31 an hour. The housekeeper told U.S. authorities Khobragade subjected her to verbal abuse, paid her less than $3.31 an hour, took her passport away, and told her she had no choice but to continue working under those conditions, prosecutors say. Khobragade was arrested by U.S. State Department diplomatic security personnel. As a consular employee, she has no immunity from prosecution for ordinary crimes. On Tuesday, as tensions escalated between the U.S. and India, India decided to block perks at the U.S. Embassy such as inexpensive alcohol and food imports. A small group of demonstrators held a protest close to the U.S. Embassy in Delhi on Wednesday, demanding an apology while wearing makeshift Obama masks and sarongs made from the American flag.

法新社評論稱，從印度總理辛格誓要“不惜一切代價”恢復柯布拉加德的尊嚴，到外交部長鬍爾西德自稱把柯布拉加德帶回家是他的“責任”，此次印度政界反應尤爲激烈與其國內政治局勢有着千絲萬縷的聯繫。“距離印度大選只剩下短短几個月的時間，此時，無論是執政的國大黨還是在野的印度人民黨都期望藉此機會向表現自己、拉攏選民。” 另有印度媒體報道稱，柯布拉加德已被撤去印度駐紐約副總領事的職位，印度當局此舉可能旨在保護她免遭美國檢方起訴。