April 16th / 18th
"Time to End Diplomatic Immunity"
Last week, United flight 633 from Washington D.C. to Denver was disrupted
and terrorized, not by an al Qaida operative, but by a snotty-nosed
diplomat from the obscure country of Qatar. Mohammad Al Madadi decided to smoke a
cigarette in the plane's lavatory, then, when confronted by a Sky Marshall,
said he was trying to light his shoes on fire (a reference to the infamous
shoe bomber). The pilot alerted authorities, and within minutes, two F-16
fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the plane. Despite his illegal and
threatening act, Madadi was released without being charged. But how could
this be?
Remember Haisong Jiang who, back in January, ran past airport security
ropes to kiss his girlfriend goodbye? That innocent stunt caused 200 flights
to be delayed. Jiang now faces a $500 fine, and 100 hours of community
service. That same month, Muhammad Tahir was drunk and unruly on a commercial
flight, and he's looking at a fine of $250,000. So why did authorities in
Denver just let Madadi walk away? Because unlike Tahir and Jiang, Madadi
enjoys full diplomatic immunity.
It is a recurring problem to which U.S. officials have continued to turn a
blind eye. Ever since the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
codified the practice and terms of immunity back in 1961, foreign nationals have
been taking advantage of what was meant to be a professional courtesy
extended among civilized countries. In fact, the Vienna Convention was clear on
law breakers, when it stated, "it is the duty of all persons enjoying such
...immunities to respect the laws of the receiving state...". But as Joshua
Muravchik of the American Enterprise Institute once warned, "Immunity
invites abuses". And those abuses have manifested themselves in many forms over
the past two decades, ranging from unpaid parking tickets to abduction.
According to columnist Michael Crowley, foreign diplomats in New York City
alone racked up over $18 million dollars in unpaid parking tickets
between 1997 and 2002. Diplomats also get tax exempt real estate for their
official business, but many abuse their status by using their property to turn a
profit. Diplomats from the Philippines, for example, ran a bank, a
restaurant, and an airline office from their tax free complex in New York. The Big
Apple once took Turkey to court to collect $70 million dollars in back
taxes owed by its diplomats, but ended up settling for $5 million. Meanwhile,
diplomats from Zaire once failed to pay their landlord $400,000 in rent.
When the landlord sued, our own State Department defended the Zairens
because they were protected by diplomatic immunity.
But abuses by foreign diplomats include far more serious matters than
unpaid tickets, rent, and taxes. In one case, a Deputy Ambassador from the
republic of Georgia was driving drunk when he injured four people, and killed a
young girl. He was never charged. Meanwhile, the American Anti Slavery
Group claims that diplomatic immunity is becoming a cover for slave trade.
And, the DEA has tried to prosecute diplomats who smuggle drugs into America,
but have been largely unsuccessful because diplomatic pouches (in which
drugs can be transported) are protected from inspection. And then there's the
famous case in which a New York policeman apprehended a diplomat from Ghana
who had just raped two women. Although the women identified him and were
ready to testify, the rapist was released after being detained for a mere 45
minutes. According to the New York Times, the rapist laughed and bragged
to the cop and the rape victims, "I told you I had diplomatic immunity".
Men like the Ghana rapist, and like Madadi the shoe burner are still
laughing at us. Currently there are over 100,000 foreign diplomats and their
dependents residing in the United States, and none of our elected officials
appear to be the least bit concerned about the threat these law breakers pose
to our citizens and property. Some people say the system works because
diplomats who act badly are usually sent packing to their home country. But
those criminals are just replaced with more criminals, and justice is never
served. Others suggest the solution is to cut off all foreign aid to any
country whose diplomat has committed a crime. But, again, that only closes the
barn door after the horses are loose.
That's why President Obama should suspend diplomatic immunity immediately.
Sure that would leave American officials at the mercy of their host
nation, but if they're deviant enough to break the law, then they should pay the
consequences.
Meanwhile, here at home, we'll all feel just a little bit safer knowing
that foreign diplomats can no longer hide behind their flag when
disrespecting ours.
|
