Vincentian diplomat injured during arrest in New York
POSTED BY KENTON X. CHANCE ⋅ MARCH 28, 2012 ⋅
SVG's Camillo Gonsalves, Chairman of the delegation of SVG addresses the general debate of the 64th session of the General Assembly. A New York cop arrested Gonsalves as he entered his office at the U.N. on Wednesday (U.N. file photo).
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – This country’s Ambassador to the United Nations was late Wednesday night at a hospital in New York to have doctors examine injuries to his body, sustained when he was arrested by a New York police officer outside of his office building earlier that day.
“Nothing is broken, but there is some nerve damage to my left wrist and thumb and possible ligament damage to my left shoulder,” Ambassador Camillo Gonsalves told I-Witness News around 11:20 Wednesday night.
He said that he would not be able to give a full comment until Thursday morning, but added, “redress shall be sought through the appropriate legal and diplomatic channels”.
“Since this issue involves issues involving a state representative entering inviolable state premises, the issue goes beyond my individual claims and remedies,” said Gonsalves, a lawyer and son of this country’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
“As such any redress will be pursued in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sen. Douglas Slater told I-Witness News Wednesday night that this country would be taking the arrest of the diplomat “seriously”.
“Well, capital has been informed, I have been in touch with Ambassadors Gonsalves and [Ambassador to the United States Lacillia] Prince,” Slater said.
“Ambassador Gonsalves is preparing a report after which we intend to follow up the matter with the relevant U.S. authorities,” he further said.
“We have already reported the matter to them (U.S. authorities), as you may have read in the reports. They have had initial discussions on the matter which led to the prompt release of Ambassador Gonsalves. We will certainly be taking the matter seriously,” he added.
A New York police officer arrested Gonsalves, who has been this country’s U.N. Ambassador for five years, as the diplomat made his way to his office Wednesday after existing his official car.
Gonsalves told international media that he was arrested although there was nothing new about what he did in trying to access his office.
“There’s never been an incident before,” he is reported as having told the Associated Press, explaining that the building where this country’s U.N. mission is located has extra security because Israel’s U.N. Mission is located there.
International media reports say the cop arrested Gonsalves for disorderly conduct after he walked through a barricade to get into his office building.
But the diplomat, according to the reports, said that the law enforcement official did not inquired about his identify until after he was placed in handcuffs.
SVG's Camillo Gonsalves, Chairman of the delegation of SVG addresses the general debate of the 64th session of the General Assembly. A New York cop arrested Gonsalves as he entered his office at the U.N. on Wednesday (U.N. file photo).
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – This country’s Ambassador to the United Nations was late Wednesday night at a hospital in New York to have doctors examine injuries to his body, sustained when he was arrested by a New York police officer outside of his office building earlier that day.
“Nothing is broken, but there is some nerve damage to my left wrist and thumb and possible ligament damage to my left shoulder,” Ambassador Camillo Gonsalves told I-Witness News around 11:20 Wednesday night.
He said that he would not be able to give a full comment until Thursday morning, but added, “redress shall be sought through the appropriate legal and diplomatic channels”.
“Since this issue involves issues involving a state representative entering inviolable state premises, the issue goes beyond my individual claims and remedies,” said Gonsalves, a lawyer and son of this country’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.
“As such any redress will be pursued in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sen. Douglas Slater told I-Witness News Wednesday night that this country would be taking the arrest of the diplomat “seriously”.
“Well, capital has been informed, I have been in touch with Ambassadors Gonsalves and [Ambassador to the United States Lacillia] Prince,” Slater said.
“Ambassador Gonsalves is preparing a report after which we intend to follow up the matter with the relevant U.S. authorities,” he further said.
“We have already reported the matter to them (U.S. authorities), as you may have read in the reports. They have had initial discussions on the matter which led to the prompt release of Ambassador Gonsalves. We will certainly be taking the matter seriously,” he added.
A New York police officer arrested Gonsalves, who has been this country’s U.N. Ambassador for five years, as the diplomat made his way to his office Wednesday after existing his official car.
Gonsalves told international media that he was arrested although there was nothing new about what he did in trying to access his office.
“There’s never been an incident before,” he is reported as having told the Associated Press, explaining that the building where this country’s U.N. mission is located has extra security because Israel’s U.N. Mission is located there.
International media reports say the cop arrested Gonsalves for disorderly conduct after he walked through a barricade to get into his office building.
But the diplomat, according to the reports, said that the law enforcement official did not inquired about his identify until after he was placed in handcuffs.
posted by Karl Eklund at 3:00 PM
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