女外交官在美国被捕搜身使印度举国愤怒

 

Deputy Consul⁴ General Devyani Khobragade is accused of submitting false documents to get a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper⁵, 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（腔，洞） searches on her after she was arrested and imprisoned⁷ on Dec. 12.

 

Lawmakers in New Delhi called her alleged⁶ treatment "despicable" and "barbaric," and responded by taking amenities⁸ 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 addicts⁹ until she posted $250,000 bail¹⁰, according to Indian officials.

 

She wrote of her arrest, "I broke down many times as the indignities¹¹ 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 incessant¹² assertions of immunity¹³."

 

U.S. Marshals confirmed in a statement that she was strip-searched following "standard arrestee intake¹⁴ 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.

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