re: FF comment far above...But, say a foreign citizen were charged with a crime in this country, and some other country insisted that we didn't have jurisdiction over alleged crimes - in our own country
it happens all the time! from things as simple as a parking ticket, to hit and run, to DWI and even to murder. and these are just the cases i know about. NYC is home to the UN, and so it has a lot of foreign dignitaries who claim "diplomtic" immunity. or are whisked out of the country so fast it would make your head spin. and for the most part, we (the US government and the NYC police and press) keep it quiet. NYC every couple of years makes noise about "parking tickets"-- usually after an onerous crime... it is safe issue to make noise about. diplomatic parking is an issue. One diplomat parked blocking a hydrant. there was a fire, and in NYC (and other cities policies) the fire men just knocked out the windows and ran the hoses throught the car. the diplomat was pissed and wanted to sue the city for damages. so what a house was on fire, and lives were at stake.
the fact is, every one plays by the same set of rules. most diplomats are exempt from being prosocuted under US Law, even for crimes committed on US soil. (some have asked for and recieved political refugee status-- and "defected" to US. it easier to do 10 to 20 years in sing sing than back home. )
i have not read all of the thread about the details, and don't know the facts about this the case that started this thread. but i do know, US millitary and diplomates are entitled to be tried in US courts by US Law, just as foreign diplomates are entitled to be tried by their laws for crime they have committed in US. We (in NYC) honor the law. we expect other to honor the law too. in the end, things work out.
