女外交官在美被捕激怒印度 美国务卿出面表“遗憾”

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.

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.

"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 officials.

She 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."

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.

一位印度女外交官在美遭逮捕和脱衣搜身，让印度举国愤怒。综合外国媒体12月19日报道，为防止事态升级，美国国务卿克里18日专程致电印度国家安全顾问梅农，对此事表示“遗憾和关切”。

本月12日，39岁的印度驻纽约副总领事柯布拉加德在纽约被捕，她被控涉嫌签证欺诈和拖欠佣人工资。获保释后，柯布拉加德发送电子邮件给印度媒体，控诉她被捕期间遭受 “侮辱”。

“尽管我不断提出外交豁免权，但他们置之不理。我仍然一再被铐上手铐、脱光搜身、体腔搜查，与普通罪犯和瘾君子在一起，我不得不承认，这令我数度崩溃。但一想到我代表着我的同事和国家，必须保持骄傲和自信，我才能恢复镇静、保持尊严。”柯布拉加德在电邮中写道。

尽管美国检方坚称自己做得并不过分、在逮捕羁押过程中做到最大限度的“小心和谨慎”，但印度从政府到民间对这一事件表现得怒不可遏，甚至展开“报复”，例如禁止美国外交官继续使用印度机场的外交特别通道、暂停受理美国驻印大使馆进口自用货物的通关申请，17日还拆除了旨在保护美国驻印使馆免受自杀式炸弹袭击的混泥土路障。

为避免两国间纷争进一步加剧，美国国务院18日通报称，国务卿克里当天与梅农通电话，对柯布拉加德被捕一事表示“遗憾和关切”，“他强调我们不会允许这一不幸事件伤害美印紧密而重要的关系”。

“作为两个女孩的父亲，同时与柯布拉加德岁数相仿，国务卿了解柯布拉加德被捕一事的敏感性。”美国国务院副发言人哈夫说，“正如美国希望自己的外交官在国外受到尊重一样，外国外交官在美国也应得到尊重和尊严。在克里看来，这一点尤其重要。”

与此同时，美国副国务卿谢尔曼也告知印度外交部长胡尔西德，称美方希望印度能够“继续履行东道国政府的责任”，保护当地美国外交人员和机构的安全。

法新社评论称，从印度总理辛格誓要“不惜一切代价”恢复柯布拉加德的尊严，到外交部长胡尔西德自称把柯布拉加德带回家是他的“责任”，此次印度政界反应尤为激烈与其国内政治局势有着千丝万缕的联系。“距离印度大选只剩下短短几个月的时间，此时，无论是执政的国大党还是在野的印度人民党都期望借此机会向表现自己、拉拢选民。”

另有印度媒体报道称，柯布拉加德已被撤去印度驻纽约副总领事的职位，印度当局此举可能旨在保护她免遭美国检方起诉。