印度女外交官寻求美国取消针对她的刑事指控

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

This week, a lawyer for an Indian diplomat asked a court in the United States to dismiss immigration and employment charges against her. Devyani Khobragade served as Deputy Counsel General at India's consulate in New York City. She is accused of making false statements when she sought permission to bring an Indian national to the US to serve as her housekeeper. She also is charged with paying the woman less than the lowest wage permitted under US law.

本周，一位印度外交官的律师要求美国法院驳回针对她的移民和就业 控告。德夫亚尼·科布拉加德(Devyani Khobragade)担任印度驻纽约总领馆副总领事。她被控在寻求将一位印度公民带到美国作为她的管家时做出了虚假陈述。她还被指控付给这位女管家的工 资低于美国法律规定的最低标准。

The case has angered a lot of people in India and led to anti-American demonstrations. The dispute began when US police arrested Ms. Khobragade last month after she dropped off her daughter at school. Police searched the 39-year-old diplomat for weapons possibly hidden inside her clothing. They forced her to wear handcuffs. Later, she was jailed in a room with drug suspects.

这起案件激怒了很多印度人，并引发了反美示威游行。争议始于美国警方上月在科布拉加德送女儿上学时逮捕了她。警方搜查了这位39岁的外交官，以防她衣服内可能藏有武器。他们强迫她戴上了手铐，然后将她和毒犯嫌疑人关在一起。

Devyani Khobragade, who served as India’s deputy consul general in New York, leaves Maharastra state house in New Delhi, India, Jan. 11, 2014.

印度驻纽约副总领事科布拉加德Ms. Khobragade was released after a court appearance.

科布拉加德在出庭后被释放。

The judge agreed to free the diplomat in exchange for her promise to return for trial and a bail payment of $250,000. Ms. Khobragade told the court she was not guilty of the charges. She is accused of paying the housekeeper less than two dollars an hour and making her work as many as 100 hours a week. In official documents, she promised to pay $4,500 in monthly wages to the housekeeper. Instead, the woman received only $537 a month.

法官在她承诺回来受审并交付25万美元保证金后同意释放了这名外交官。科布拉加德对法庭表示，对于这些指控她是无罪的。她被 指控付给管家每小时低于两美元，并让她每周工作长达100个小时。在官方文件中，她承诺付给管家每月4500美元工资。而实际上这名女管家每月只得到 537美元。

Some Indians have described the diplomat's treatment by police as shameful. Salman Khurshid is India's Foreign Minister.

一些印度人称这名外交官在警方的遭遇是耻辱的。萨尔曼·卡苏是印度的外交部长。

"We feel a very extreme level of distress in terms of human element that is involved."

他说，“我们对这起事件涉及到的人为因素感到极度忧虑。”

Another official, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, cancelled his meeting with a five-member US congressional delegation. But the diplomatic dispute did not end there. The Indian government asked the US embassy to withdraw one of its officers. It also removed security barriers from outside the embassy, ordered a suspension of some diplomatic activities, and took back airport passes.

另一位官员，印度内政部长苏希尔·库马尔辛德( Sushil Kumar Shinde)取消了他和美国国会一个五人代表团的会面。但这起外交纠纷并未就此结束。印度政府要求美国大使馆撤回一位高级职员，还拆除了(美国驻印度) 使馆外的安全路障，下令暂停一些外交活动，并收回(发放给美国使馆人员的)机场通行证。

An American law professor says India's government has overreacted. Thomas McDonnell teaches at Pace University Law School.

美国一位法学教授表示，印度政府已经反应过度。托马斯·麦克唐纳(Thomas McDonnell)在佩斯大学法学院任教。

"The idea of removing the concrete barriers in front of our embassy that protect our ambassador and other officials from a terrorist attack seems extraordinarily out of proportion."

他说，“拆除我们使馆前防止大使和其他官员遭受恐怖袭击的混泥土路障的主意显得格外离谱。”

US officials say New York police followed standard rules in making the arrest. One question is whether Devyani Khobragade had special rights as a diplomat. But a State Department official said she did not have the top level of diplomatic immunity.

美国官员表示，纽约警方在逮捕时遵照了标准程序。问题在于科布拉加德作为外交人员是否享有特权。但美国国务院一位官员表示，科布拉加德并不享有最高级别的外交豁免权。

American media and other groups have been following the case. Jo Becker works for Human Rights Watch.

美国媒体和其它组织一直在追踪这起案件。乔·贝克尔(Jo Becker)就职于人权观察组织。

"The diplomat has been charged with a felony and there has been a big uproar over her treatment. But the controversy had completely overshadowed the exploitation of her employee and similar abuses against millions of domestic workers that happen worldwide every single day".

她说，“这名外交官被控重罪，就她的遭遇一片哗然。但争议已经完全盖过了她对佣人的剥削，已经世界各地每天发生的针对家佣的类似剥削。”

Ms. Becker noted that Secretary of State John Kerry called a top Indian official to express regret over the incident. Yet US officials say the charges against Ms. Khobragade will not be dropped, and that she would face them if she returns.

贝克尔女士指出，美国国务卿克里给一位印度高级官员打电话就此事件表示了遗憾。然而美国官员表示，针对科布拉加德的指控不会取消，如果她返回美国就会受到指控。

By VOA

17 January, 2014

From VOA Learning English, this is In the News.

This week, a lawyer for an Indian diplomat asked a court in the United States to dismiss immigration and employment charges against her. Devyani Khobragade served as Deputy Counsel General at India's consulate in New York City. She is accused of making false statements when she sought permission to bring an Indian national to the US to serve as her housekeeper. She also is charged with paying the woman less than the lowest wage permitted under US law.

The case has angered a lot of people in India and led to anti-American demonstrations. The dispute began when US police arrested Ms. Khobragade last month after she dropped off her daughter at school. Police searched the 39-year-old diplomat for weapons possibly hidden inside her clothing. They forced her to wear handcuffs. Later, she was jailed in a room with drug suspects.

Ms. Khobragade was released after a court appearance.

The judge agreed to free the diplomat in exchange for her promise to return for trial and a bail payment of $250,000. Ms. Khobragade told the court she was not guilty of the charges. She is accused of paying the housekeeper less than two dollars an hour and making her work as many as 100 hours a week. In official documents, she promised to pay $4,500 in monthly wages to the housekeeper. Instead, the woman received only $537 a month.

Some Indians have described the diplomat's treatment by police as shameful. Salman Khurshid is India's Foreign Minister.

"We feel a very extreme level of distress in terms of human element that is involved."

Another official, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, cancelled his meeting with a five-member US congressional delegation. But the diplomatic dispute did not end there. The Indian government asked the US embassy to withdraw one of its officers. It also removed security barriers from outside the embassy, ordered a suspension of some diplomatic activities, and took back airport passes.

An American law professor says India's government has overreacted. Thomas McDonnell teaches at Pace University Law School.

"The idea of removing the concrete barriers in front of our embassy that protect our ambassador and other officials from a terrorist attack seems extraordinarily out of proportion."

US officials say New York police followed standard rules in making the arrest. One question is whether Devyani Khobragade had special rights as a diplomat. But a State Department official said she did not have the top level of diplomatic immunity.

American media and other groups have been following the case. Jo Becker works for Human Rights Watch.

"The diplomat has been charged with a felony and there has been a big uproar over her treatment. But the controversy had completely overshadowed the exploitation of her employee and similar abuses against millions of domestic workers that happen worldwide every single day".

Ms. Becker noted that Secretary of State John Kerry called a top Indian official to express regret over the incident. Yet US officials say the charges against Ms. Khobragade will not be dropped, and that she would face them if she returns.

And that's In The News from VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.