http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=10309
Romania outraged after US Marine kills civilian
ISN SECURITY WATCH (07/12/04) - Romanian prosecutors were expected today to join forces with the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service arriving in Romania to look into the case of a US Marine who allegedly killed a Romanian rock-star in a car accident on Saturday.
The death of 50-year-old Teo Peter - a prominent musician and producer - over the weekend caused a public uproar after the US Marine, identified as 31-year-old US embassy employee Robert Christopher, refused to have his blood tested for alcohol and was spirited out of Romania shortly after the accident occurred.
According to Romanian criminal law, crimes committed by diplomatic personnel or personnel working for the diplomatic corps, do not come under the jurisdiction of the Romanian state, hence the US Marine “had the choice on whether to submit a blood sample or leave Romania prior to the investigation ending”, said Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Catalin Ionita.
Romanian media have focused much attention on the story, criticizing the government for allowing the US Marine to avoid either national or international justice, and accusing overtly pro-US authorities of condoning the incident. Media also contrasted the incident with a similar one in 1997, when a Georgian diplomat in the US was stripped of his immunity and tried under US law.
The leading daily Adevarul newspaper wrote that US Ambassador Jack Dyer Crouch had shown the sensitivity “of a cyborg” when expressing his regrets for the incident in interviews over the weekend, while the US in general was likened to Imperial Rome and Nazi Germany “whose soldiers, belonging to a superior race, could have killed with impunity as many natives as they wanted”.
The daily Jurnalul National said “some people are more equal than others when it comes to triggering somebody else’s death”.
The public outrage is being viewed with particular concern given Romania’s strong US sympathies. Long before the arrival on the scene of US President George Bush, it was difficult to find a more willing partner in the region for military campaigns than Romania.
Though Romanian authorities have repeatedly requested that the US Marine be returned to Romania for justice, those requests have so far gone unanswered. In a press release on the Romanian Foreign Ministry website, the Romanian government says it has asked the US authorities to both return the US Marine to Romania and lift his diplomatic immunity.
The media has focused in on what they call the authorities’ “weakness”, recalling that Romania was one of the first countries in August 2002 to sign an agreement with the US granting US citizens immunity from prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, that agreement has not been ratified by the Romanian parliament, and as such is not yet applicable to US military serving in Romania.
A recent NATO member state, Romania is earmarked along with Bulgaria to host new US military bases to bring US troops closer to operational theaters in the Middle East. (By Anca Paduraru in Bucharest)
http://www.spacewar.com/2004/041207190449.g6mkzymc.html
Bush urged to order marine suspected in drunk driving death back to Romania
BUCHAREST (AFP) Dec 07, 2004
Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase on Tuesday urged US President George W. Bush to order a US marine to return to Bucharest for questioning in a probe into a drunk driving accident that cost the life of a prominent Romanian rock musician.
"In a letter addressed to Mr. Bush, the Romanian prime minister stressed that the sudden departure for the United States of this marine, a member of the embassy security detail, and his refusal to take a blood alcohol test, sparked outrage in Romanian public opinion," a government statement said.
Nastase also asked that the diplomatic immunity of the marine, Robert Christopher, be lifted "so that he can answer for his actions before Romanian justice."
The Romanian prime minister assured Bush that the US marine would have "legal and correct treatment" in Romania.
Two US prosecutors arrived in Bucharest on Tuesday to take part in the investigation into the causes of the accident in which Teofil Peter was killed before dawn on Saturday when the taxi he was riding in was rammed by a heavy sport-utility vehicle driven, according to media reports, by Christopher.
The 28-year-old taxi driver is said to have sustained serious injuries.
A police breathalyzer test showed the marine had a 0.09 milligram alcohol level in his blood, the Bucharest Daily News reported.
Under Romanian law, people are not allowed to drive after consuming any amount of alcohol.
Reports said the marine refused to take a blood test.
"The results of this investigation will allow us to decide the next step," the embassy said Tuesday, adding that it would keep the public informed of "efforts to clarify the circumstances of this tragic accident."
Peter was a founding member of the rock group Compact, which has produced dozens of hits since it was set up in 1977.
In Washington on Sunday, a spokesman for the US Marine Corps expressed regret over the incident, but refused to disclose any details. "The only thing I can tell is that we are aware of it," said Captain Dan McSweeney. "It's an unfortunate incident."
A new member of the NATO alliance, Romania is trying to forge a close strategic relationship with the United States and has offered the Pentagon a base in Constanta as a possible jumping off point for operations in the Middle East.
All rights reserved. © 2004 Agence France-Presse.