巴基斯坦法庭推遲對關押的美官員作出裁定

A Pakistani court has delayed until next month a ruling on whether a detained U.S. State Department employee accused of murder has diplomatic immunity.

Raymond Davis is accused of shooting and killing two Pakistanis during an alleged attempted robbery in the eastern city of Lahore last month. The United States says Davis acted in self-defense and is a diplomat who should be released immediately under international conventions. On Thursday, the chief judge of the Lahore High Court granted a Pakistani government request for a three-week delay in the hearing. The court will now consider Davis's status on March 14.

The State Department says it will present a formal petition for diplomatic immunity in an effort to win his release. A spokesman says Davis is a member of the administrative and technical staff of the U.S. embassy in Islamabad.

一個巴基斯坦法庭把有關被控謀殺罪而遭關押的美國國務院僱員是否享有外交豁免權的裁決推遲到下個月。

戴維斯被控上個月在巴基斯坦東部城市拉合爾一次指稱的企圖搶劫事件中開槍打死兩名巴基斯坦人。美國說，戴維斯開槍是出於自衛，而且他是一名外交官，應根據國際公約立即釋放他。星期四，拉合爾的高等法院同意了巴基斯坦政府要求將庭審推遲3個星期的請求。這家法庭現在要在3月14號考慮戴維斯的外交身份問題。

美國國務院表示，爲了爭取戴維斯獲釋，國務院將提交使他獲得外交豁免的正式申請。國務院的一位發言人說，戴維斯是美國駐伊斯蘭堡大使館的一名行政和技術人員。