Raymond Davis is not an uncommon name in countries where English is spoken by the majority. The name got some notoriety courtesy of the man who shot two Pakistani men in the back on January 29, 2011. That Raymond Davis, is a confirmed CIA operative who operated in Pakistan with the vaguest of links with the US Embassy in that country and certainly nothing that warranted the description ‘diplomat’.
Those for whom the names ‘Raymond’ and ‘Davis’ sound familiar are unlikely to know of any Faizan or Faheem, the names of the two young men Davis shot to death. Neither would they know of an Ibadur-Rehman, the name of a biker who was crushed to death by an employee of the US Embassy who had raced along the wrong side of the road in a land cruiser, in an attempt to rescue the murderer.
The families of the two murdered men have been forced to take ‘Blood Money,’ which according to Sharia Law includes ‘forgiving murderer’ and therefore acquittal. Ibadur-Rehman has since been forgotten. This ‘diplomat’ is to be tried in US courts, but that’s no consolation to the murdered or their subsequently arm-twisted families. One notes, also, that the US criminal justice system is notorious for its racism and summary acquittal of officers charged with racism and murder. Those who are interested could google ‘Amadou Diallo’ or ‘Rodney King’, two of the more prominent cases which were too in-your-face for the mainstream media to ignore or fudge, as it has in the case of the January 29 shooting.
While books can be written about the Raymond Davis case, I thought it would be good to talk about the ‘diplomatic’ element.
Barack Obama, a man who has given the green light to torture and cover-up in cases involving detainees in Guantanamo Bay and other off-shore torture chambers run by the US military (including those in Iraq and Afghanistan) and has chosen to fudge the human rights issues pertaining to the incarceration of Bradley Manning (including humiliation, absence of due process), calls this murderer, Raymond Davis, ‘our diplomat’.
The US Government left no stone unturned to get their ‘diplomat’ released, even threatening Pakistan with ‘dire consequences’ if they did not accede to this ‘request’. This ‘diplomat’ was, let me repeat, a CIA operative and it has been discovered that he was in possession of a lot of undiplomatic material. He carried a gun. He claims he shot in self-defence. It is strange that the victims, who according to him were about to shoot him, had their backs turned to the murderer. It is strange that ‘diplomats’ have to carry guns. It is strange that ‘private security officers’ are called ‘diplomats’. Next we will hear, I suppose, that janitors in embassies are also ‘diplomats’ and have the same right to kill and get away with it as Davis apparently has.
We are living in a world where James Bond gadgets are available in the real arms market and are regularly used by real-life secret agents. Here’s some information from the Internet:What all this means is that diplomats have double-o privileges, ie ‘the license of kill’ a la James Bond. It means that every Tom, Dick, Harry, Jane, Patricia and Kathy in every embassy in every country, from ambassador to his/her toe-nail clipping maid has the right to carry arms and shoot anyone and put it all down to ‘self-defense’. The relevant paragraphs pertaining to diplomatic immunity will be quoted, the murderer acquitted and duly sent to ‘trial’ back home, branded ‘hero’ (most likely) and packed to another embassy in another country. This might be called the Raymond Davis method of getting away with murder.
‘True-life secret agents usually favour small-calibre handguns because they are easy to conceal. However, in situations where greater firepower, range or accuracy is needed, special rifles or machine guns can be made to fold down or disassemble into smaller components that are easy to hide. During World War II, the British Sten submachine gun was provided to French resistance operatives and other Allied spies - it could be collapsed into three pieces for hiding. Spies have used very Bond -like concealed, single-shot weapons disguised as common objects. A tiny pistol that can fit into a belt buckle, a cigarette that could fire a single 22 calibre round when the operative pulled a string with his teeth, a single-shot pen gun and a wrist-holster that could fire with a single arm movement were all actually used. Guns were also concealed in flashlights, gloves, pipes, pencils, tubes of toothpaste and rolled up newspaper.
Obama’s ‘Our Diplomat’ has created a precedent. One can safely assume that all US diplomats carry guns and engage in spying. One can assume that they are willing and able to shoot to kill. We know that the US is right at the top when it comes to manufacturing and using sophisticated, deadly and concealable weaponry. We know that the Uncle Sam is the mother of double-standards. We know that what’s sauce for the any goose is not sauce for the US gander. We would not be faulted for saying that everyone who comes within firing range of any US diplomat is a potential dead-duck, for these are trigger-happy two-tongued terrorists, nothing less. That’s Obama speaking, friends.
No one will check Patricia Butenis’ handbag or her make-up case when she attends some function. Who knows, her right incisor might be a gun which can be activated with flick of tongue and shot when she speaks the words ‘human rights’.
The victim would not know what hit him/her and if anyone noticed or somehow it was found that she was the murderer, all she needs to do is call one of her security-guard-diplomats to rush to her aid, killing half a dozen people and make enough ‘news’ so that Barack Obama will scream the words ‘diplomatic immunity’ and threaten Sri Lanka with ‘dire consequences’.
Not saying it would happen, but it might. Better safe than sorry, they say. I would be wary of attending any function where anyone working for any embassy is present, especially those working for the US mission and those of Uncle Sam’s allies. Thank you, no.
This article was first published in the 'Daily News' exactly 5 years ago (March 21, 2011). Malinda Seneviratne is a freelance writer. His email is: malindasenevi@gmail.com
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