E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSBy NBC News’Carol Grisanti and Fakhar Rehman
LAHORE, Pakistan – Raymond Davis, a 36-year-old burly CIA contractor, was charged with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis Wednesday. Then in a swift turn of events, he was quickly pardoned because the victims’ families accepted monetary compensation in exchange for his freedom.
Rana Sanullah, the law minister for Punjab province, where Davis was held, said that the families accepted the “blood money,” as it is called, and then signed papers to pardon him.
Raja Irshad, a lawyer with close ties to Pakistan’s army, was recently added to the legal team representing the families of the two victims. He told NBC News that 200 million rupees, ($2.34 million) was paid to the victim’s legal heirs. “I was present in the court,” said Irshad. “The deal was done in front of me.” If true, it would be the highest amount of blood money ever paid in Pakistan.
U.S. officials confirmed Davis’ release Wednesday and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commented on it to reporters in Cairo.
"The families of the victims of the January 27 incident pardoned Mr. Davis and we are very grateful for decision. We appreciate the actions they took that enabled Mr. Davis to leave Pakistan and head home,” Clinton said.
She said that the U.S. government did not pay any compensation to the family and would not respond to reporter questions about whether the Pakistanis or a third party did.
Under Islamic law, an aggrieved party can accept compensation and in return pardon the crime. In Pakistan, the blood money formula is often used to settle murder cases.
Asad Manzoor, another lawyer representing the families, said his clients were forced to take the money and sign the pardon papers. “They were taken to the jail last night and forced to sign,” he said.
“Blood money was going to be the only way out,” a senior Pakistani government official told NBC News. “It had been decided that it was the only way this case would be settled.”
Spy stakes
Davis was working undercover for the CIA, allegedly, trying to infiltrate Lashkar-e-Taiba, (Army of the Pure) one of Pakistan’s most notorious militant groups. Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, was in all likelihood spying on him. Lashkar was trained and funded by the ISI, to fight India in Kashmir. They would not have liked American spies prying into their secrets.
“This is a question of national interests and we have to safeguard our interests,” a Pakistani intelligence official told NBC News, requesting anonymity. “We can work together with the CIA – but no one can be allowed to go it alone on our soil.”
In the end, Davis was at the center of a high stakes showdown between the CIA and the ISI. At stake was the entire relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, vital allies in the U.S.-led war on terror.
Shooting in broad daylight
“The Raymond Davis affair,” as it was called in Pakistan, is a story that could have been ripped straight off the pages of a John le Carré novel – except that it unfolded, for real, in broad daylight, in heavy traffic, in the city of Lahore and was witnessed by scores of onlookers.
In late January, Davis fatally shot two young Pakistani motorcyclists, at a busy intersection, from inside his car. He then jumped out and fired some more – shooting one victim down as he tried to run away.
Davis called for help and CIA agents in another car sped to his rescue, running over and killing a third Pakistani man and in a classic case of hit and run, sped away.
Davis told the police the men were armed and trying to rob him. He pleaded self-defense. The police say Davis used excessive force shooting the men 10 times with his Glock pistol. The autopsy report says both men were shot in the back.
U.S. Embassy officials repeatedly demanded Davis’ immediate release on grounds that he was a diplomat and was entitled to blanket immunity under the 1961 Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations.
But Pakistan’s Foreign Office had issued Davis a non-diplomatic I.D. card upon his arrival according to Pakistan’s own laws – the Diplomatic and Consular Privilege Act, 1972 – and never recognized his full diplomatic status. U.S. officials insisted Pakistan is a signatory to the Vienna Conventions and that an international treaty trumped any technicality in their domestic laws.
Father: ‘I want blood for blood’
The families of the two men said they didn’t care about the laws governing diplomats – they just wanted revenge.
Imran Haider, is the brother of Faizan Haider, the 21-year-old who was killed. He seemed convinced that his family would not consider a deal involving monetary compensation.
“My brother was shot in the back while he was running,” Haider told NBC News in an interview on Sunday. “We are seeking justice in the courts and pray to God that Raymond Davis will be punished for his crime. We do not want America’s money; we just want justice for our brother.”
Shamshad Ali, the father of one of the other victims, 17-year-old Faheem Shamshad, put it this way:
“This man must hang for the way he killed my son,” he said. “I want justice; I want blood for blood.”
Ali’s other son, Waseem Shamshad, emphasized that four people are dead because of Davis. Faheem’s wife committed suicide by swallowing rat poison when she heard Faheem was dead. They were married only four months.
“We have suffered an enormous loss,” he stressed. Davis killed our baby brother. Then my sister-in-law killed herself. Our friend, Faizan died with Faheem and an innocent Pakistani was run over and killed – that driver never even stopped his car. We cannot accept blood money and pardon him. If we do, the Americans will just keep coming and killing us.”
Pakistan’s religious parties and right wing groups used the Davis affair to whip up a new brew of anti-Americanism on the Pakistani streets and warned the weak civilian government not to cave to U.S. pressure. Demonstrators across the country protested with banners and slogans to “Hang Raymond Davis.”
There are reports the families have already left the country – their cell phones are switched off and the doors to their home are allegedly unlocked with no one inside. Neighbors say they feared reprisals from some of Pakistan’s hardliners.
It is not clear if Raymond Davis will have to face U.S. justice in the killing of the two Pakistanis. But a deal was done. So for the meantime Davis is a free man, on his way home – his long ordeal finally over.
Leave a Comment:
Life is cheap for any civilian in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Yemen - when the U.S. forces or CIA contractors do the killing. And the destitute Pakistani families know that the U.S. has the might and the money to force or corrupt the release of their killers. Let's not, therefore blame the victim's families for accepting "blood maney." They knew that if they didn't, Davis would surely have gotten away for nothing!!!!
The U.S. air force and CIA Predator drones have killed "thousands" since 2001 in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. And they have not paid "blood money" because they classified the dead civilians as Taliban! Even last week the U.S. forces bombed a group of 11 Afghan children collecting firewood, and they insisted that they were insurgents - until local officials showed the children bodies to reporters. Their families may get a petty cash pittance for them. Their lives were dirty cheap because no CIA agents were under arrest to command a higher "blood money" price.
But when it comes to CIA agents or contractors, the sky is the limit to comfort them. The U.S. will even empty the U.S. Treasury for their comfort. And those agents know it, that is why they may kill somebody for just staring at them - and they can claim self-defense. They know they have a superpower behind them to bomb the holding country if necessary - unless that country is Russia, and mountains of cash for pay offs - at no cost to themselves! Former U.S. president Gerald Ford even bombed Cambodia in 1975 to force the release of some American marines in the Mayaquez incident.
The U.S. killing since the WWI has reached the stratosphere! If one looks at the CIA death squads killing in Central and Latin America, in Africa - including the assassination of Patric Lumumba, the CIA car bomb in Beirut in 1981 that killed 85 civilians, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the pile of bodies is probably higher than Mount Everest. And here in the U.S. about 30% of the population still believes that the CIA plotted the assassination of John F. Kennedy for not approving the U.S. invasion of Cuba during the Bay of pigs CIA debacle.
Now, if one ask: How the U.S. State Department can then produce an annual "Human Rights Report" and blame other small wrongdoers as brutes? Well, the answer is: Because they can, and they have their puppet allies in Europe to nod along! Here is an example: When an Iranian student, Neda Soltani, was killed in Tehran during demonstrations against the Iranian regime, she made headlines for about 1 month in the Western media, and she was eulogized as a martyr. Now Bahrain, where the U.S. has a Naval Base, is killing anti-government demonstrators by the dozen, has declared martial law, but there is almost no negative reporting in the U.S. media - and definitely those who are killed by the Saudi forces occupying Bahrain, or by Bahrain police are no martyrs! Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton blasted Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejad after Neda Soltani's death, but don't expect them now to blast the Bahrainian king Halifa for killing his opponents as if they were squirrels.
The U.S. strives to tell the global audiences that it is a champion of human rights and justice, but there are no buyers. Anti- American hostility around the globe ranges from 58% in Europe, to 94% in Pakistan. What the release of Raymond Davis and the paid "blood money" means worldwide? If you kill for the U.S., you go free! No crime committed! If you are a U.S. foe, and your forces kill civilians, the U.S. has the might, the clout, and the partners to have the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for you! The adage "Might is Right" is not a joke! If anyone doubts, they can ask Sudan's president Omar Bashir! Nikos Retsos, retired professor
Unfiltered truth. Well done.
Be careful, though. If you do this for too long people will start hating on you and making things up, like saying you love terrorists or murderers. I'd name names but personal attacks are not allowed. Still, I have been subjected to exactly that by people who either cannot read or just say anything they want to make themselves feel good.
What a bunch of "politically correct" nonsense horsesh!+.
No laws are only for us and only us . All others are in-humans , Uncivilized , terrorists, non believers and liers
I call bull.Why don't you tell that to the vicims of Stalin or Mao.Amazes me how liberal idiots like you always have to blame the US.The country that goes to great lengths to protect civilians and and promote equality and justice.It is even more amazing how STUPID some folks can be on this incident.Take this incident on just about any American street and it would be ruled self defense.Why don't you point a gun at any cop or armed citizen in the US and attempt robbery and see how long you live and to think the Pakistanis just ignored diplomatic immunity makes this a complete miscarriage of justice irregardless of which country you are in.
Pakistan and Paki have beaten all world records in stealing, killing, looting, raping and more. That is the only thing Pakis have been doing since 47.
Now Pakistan is the breeding and exporting center for Islamic radicals and terrorists all over the world. See the terrorist attacks done by these Paki supported terrorists.
Most insulting are the explanations, blames, lies spread all over the world to support the killers and criminals.
Davis case is an example of blackmail by a rogue and failed nation.
The of Nikos is another evidence of people can just point fingers away from criminals and killers.
If the infidels were to take revenges for the genocides since 47, Pakistan would not have existed in the map.
If those affected by genocides and terrorist attacks were to take blood money even the US can go bankrupt!
Pakis are so ungrateful that if Pakistan is on the map it is due to the US and western allies.
Pakistan, the biggest international liability world has ever seen in the history, was invented by the British.
Just see how ungrateful Pakis and their supporters can be.
Hopefully the "ransom" was paid in counterfeit North Korean $100 bills. Now, set up the drone to follow the families and see who they give the money to.
Oh what a crock!! A very clear cut incident of self defense against ARMED robbery in one of the most dangerous places on the planet.The libtards and Pakistani scum have hijacked this whole issue and turned it into a travesty of justice.Oh boo hoo the Pakistanis don't like us.Well after this incident there are quite a few Americans who hate them too.What a country of RADICAL Islamic wackjobs with no sense of justice.A bunch of terrorist loving, women beating cultural monkeys.This scum is no friend of the US.STOP the cash flow to Pakistan NOW.
What arrogance. Is this the how one defends oneself? Shooting people in the back? If Raymaond was on a mission, he would have used some other measures to avoid such a situation. And also, before you go about commenting on terrorisists and women beaters, just look at your own people there is no derth of such people (US citizens) who are doing the same thing in your own country and elsewhere in the world. Blaming others for your self created problems is a your favourite past time.
The armed robbery is either a CIA cover story or an ISI assassination attempt. It's believed the two motorcyclists were CIA informants helping Raymond Davis spy on Lashkar-e-Taiba, who then became double-agents helping the Pakistani ISI spy on Davis himself.
Rightly said. There have been no laws since Pakistan, a pure Islamic nation, was formed in 47.
Davis issue is just a sham exercise in the most lawless nation on earth just to blackmail the US.
There have been consistent genocides of minorities. All it takes is to declare some as infidels.
In two years after 47, minorities were brought down from 30 percent to less than five percent by massive looting, raping, terrorizing and killings.
Later it was the turn of other Islamic sects like Ahmedias, Sufis and Shias (18 percent) and minority sects.
If there were laws half the Pakis should have been punished in these genocides.
Right from 50s, their democratically elected leaders including Ms. Benazir Bhutto were killed or blown up. How many have been punished till now.
Whom are these Pakis fooling?
About hating. Take a poll all over the world on Pakistan and Pakis. Just see how many just hate them and don’t want to even see their faces anywhere near.
Aubrey Immelman says:
"The armed robbery is either a CIA cover story or an ISI assassination attempt. It's believed the two motorcyclists were CIA informants helping Raymond Davis spy on Lashkar-e-Taiba, who then became double-agents helping the Pakistani ISI spy on Davis himself."
Where do you come up with garbage like this?
Ray
Why was Davis armed to the teeth? Why did his car carry so many cell phones that are used to set bombs? (Bombings have dropped noticably!) Why was his employer an empty shell corporation? Why did the US not say what he does in Pakistan?
The only thing 'clear cut' is your lack of factual knowedge and the lack of candor by the US Government to Americans as well as Pakistanis.
Talk about arrogance this is a Pakistani bullsh!+ ploy to extort money,America bash and turn a straight forward case of SELF DEFENSE into a money extorting media circus.Pull a gun on any street in rural America with armed roberry in attempt and see how long you live.Come on do it I dare you.You won't do it because you're (hopefully ) not that stupid.We have a saying in the US to "don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining" Commonsense would be to declare Pakistan a "belligernet nation" cut off and freeze all money assests, declare the northern territories a war zone with and hunt down and kill Al-Qeada and Taliban militants with a mandate concerning Pakistani military to not fire unless fired upon.They want to escalate it go ahead.
Hope they have the serial nos of those bills! I'll bet they buy weapons with the cash !
Stop sending cash to Pakistan.We should be at war with them.
My Pakistani friends are happy and excited to see him freed, yet I see numerous posts from so called Americans bemoaning the fact he is finally being bought home.. How sad is that?
World can see only partially. Many "moderate" Muslims, liberals, leftists and the Paki Trojan horses have not partial blindness, but very short memories.
These pop up very conveniently to justify even the consistent genocides of minorities, infidels and terrorist actions all over the world. Even the kidnapping, raping and immoral trafficking of poor infidel girls and women can be justified.
Pakistan is the dirtiest swamp on earth if one examines its track record since 47. That nation should never have been supported by the US, British and western nations in the name strategic alliance.
Any more nurturing of Pakistan and Pakis, Frankenstein monsters, will be only committing Hari-kari.
Declare Pakistan as an enemy and treat the enemy as an enemy.
Where is justice in this world?
Well stated Jonathan
They had wounds in their back? Why would this CIA dude stop a car in a busy street with many on lookers just to waste a few people watching on at random? Does this that scenario make any sense to anyone with a ounce of common sense? These idiots tried to jack the wrong person and paid a dear price. Only in countries like Pakistan and other nearby areas can some jerk cry about their loved ones being wasted for breaking a law. Shows how pathetic these people really are. Although, I do feel bad for the innocent guy who was ran over and killed. My condolences to his family.
If infidels affected by the genocides and terrorists go for revenge and blood monies, there will be no place on earth for Pakis and their nation would have been wiped out of the map long time back.
The US, British and western nations should shed their blinkers and stop supporting Pakistan and Pakis.
We had enough of sham excuses to justify aids to Pakistan, the dirtiest swamp on earth.
Well stated Grendal well stated.Finally some commonsense reasoning.Kudos
Good Post grendal.
It will only make them hate us more and make the job of undercover agents much harder. We should have tried to buy the Foreign Minister from the get go and gotten him to say that yes Raymond does have immunity. It probably would have been cheaper. As for the blood money, zardari would sell his own (non virgin) daughters for a whole lot less. We know they can be bought and the money will hopefully provide the families a better life than what the slain men could have provided. I do feel sorry for the poor man who innocently got run over.
Many Pakis and their supporters would not like to see/hear the truth. They see and listen only what is convenient to them.
When some talks about moon, they will talk and dance about sun.
Just watch for the posts on my above posts. There will be some trying to teach me English too!
Throw your own self under the bus! You earned it you got it!
This is nut's but we'd better make it our reality cause if we don't we'll get bitten in the ass again!
Raimond should have been punished according to the laws other than murdering people. It is believed that he was spying in a country and was said to be involved in suicide attaks in Pakistan by providing fundes to the extremists. This is a fact that Americans always do protect their national interest and Pakistani leaders alwasy sell their interests.
Americans are what a nation. At one end they kill innocent citizens by tanks, jets, drones and at other end they also bring a women to justice by giving her 86 years life sentence althoug she was just a suspect. At the other end they got freed their man .. althoug he had killed 03 people in a daytime in a crowed. Really Americans are doing well. But what it will result? This will increase the anger in the hearts of the people in Pakistan against America. Ameican Govt. should respect the feelings of people of other nations as well. But it is also a fact when leaders of Pakistan do not have such respect why would America Do?
Shame on Pakistan..... and Shame on America. By moral.. by law .. .by justice... this is a unique incident which happend on the planet.
"involved in suicide attacks by providing fundes to the extremistS" Yeah right and I thought you people were against smoking dope.I don't care if the ARMED robbers were shot in the back or the butt this is self defense by an American who has diplomatic immunity.What part of this fact do you not understand? "increase the anger in the hearts of the people in Pakistan against America" Give me a break.I don't care.You ever think about the Americans turning against the Pakistani's because of Pakistans horrible treatment of Americans? Of course not you arrogant idiot.Don't like drones either?Well I don't like freaks that protect and refuse to go after the terrorists that murdered my fellow countrymen on 9/11 while my tax dollars bankroll their spineless government.Raymond Davis an American soldier,veteran and American HERO.
Jonathan like Americans should convince their leaders about their baseless Propaganda against Pakistan. Actually Pakistanis are victims of terrorism. But these bloody fool minded people can not understand this reality.
Malik Jafars like Pakis are mothers of Islamic radicals and terrorists reponsible for half of world problems. Why don't all Pakis go back to their Pakistan if it is so good?
Why do Pakis take aids from infidels? Humans have shame, but Pakis don't have shame too!
this opens up a can of worms,from now on no american can defend themselves in pakistan subjecting them to robbery,kidnapping,torture or death.if they do ,they will be jailed and have to pay "blood"money to the relatives,in this case the attackers have nothing to loose,either they succeed in their mission or they don't in which case their relatives become rich.
We need to stop all US aid to Pakistan and close our consulates and stop issuing Visas for the US. ICE should round up all illegal Pakis in the US and deport them.
In the US if we shoot someone in the back that trys to rob you its called murder maybe we should change the laws here and there would be less robberies here in the US.
Now back to what happened over their if you are sticking out like a sour thumb then you are most likely to be setup to be robbed or kidnapped like we are trained.
You are to bring as little attention to your self as possible in everyday life while over seas don't wear certain clothing don't say say certain things while deal with the public don't drive fancy cars and so on.
Now if you follow these rules that does not mean you will be safe.
This information is listed on all travel information web sites. This person is trained in this and more this person had to make a choice if his life was in danger,
If the two people whom was killed and they shot at him first then he was in his rights to defend himself as our goverment has train him in the art of defending one's self but they also will tell you this if you are charged there is little to anything that they will do for you because the US goverment doesn't want to lose face or their freinds that may be assiting them in this war on terror.
But most of all this is a war and people die both US citizens and others around the world and as long as this war is going people will die that is the way it is. I myself would have walked up to them after they was down and put a bullet in their heads to make sure they was dead.
These people tried to kill this guy and he did the right thing.
There was people whom saw this and stated that they fired first he did what any person whom had this happening to to them would have done.
When people do wrong and try to rob others at gun point try to get away with this sort of thing and if they get away with it once they will try it again but theses guys luck ran out.
And to those whom live in the world of that sort of thing don't happen just wait until you have a gun pointed in your face and see how you feel about it, I can tell you it's not fun its scarey as hell and then after its all done you get mad as hell because its wrong just wrong you then later will think what if I'd had done something different would that had happened to me.
Oh baloney people get shot all over the place in the course of a gunfight in know I spent many years in law enforcement.This whole episode would be a great self defense shooting if it wasn't for the libtards and the Pakistanis.
oops posted in the wrong spot.
that mothafecker should've been let rot in jail. we are the most notorious TERRORIST nation on the planet.
At Least 41 Killed as US Drones Attack Tribal Jirga in North Waziristan
Attack Killed Members of Pro-Govt Militia, Random Civilians
http://news.antiwar.com/2011/03/17/at-least-41-killed-as-us-drones-attack-tribal-jirga-in-north-waziristan/
Your are a freaking idiot libtard.
Don't pay attention to this troll and it will go away.I think HE rotted in jail a little to long.Didn't know they allowed computers in prison.
Unfortunately this particular article neglects to mention the 27 texts on Davis' cellphone to Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders and his offers to provide them with nuclear fission and biological warfare agents:
Obviously all this would have come out at trial - which won't happen now. Despite the CIA's refusal to disclose all their other CIA and Blackwater operatives to the Pakistani government (who's not cooperating in the war on terror?), Pakistan has launched their own investigation of 414 Americans with diplomatic passports who serve no diplomatic function. (see ).
Hopefully it will also shed light on the role of CIA "freedom fighters" in the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in the terrorist violence on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon/CIA make no secret of their desire to see energy and mineral rich Balochistan secede from Pakistan to become a US client state - just like energy and mineral rich Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and the other former Soviet republics.
Moreover there's no way to ascertain whether random acts of terror in the border regions are caused by the Taliban, Al Qaeda or the CIA-funded BLA. However there's no question that CIA-sponsored BLA terrorism is responsible for much of the violence - especially around the Chinese-built port in Gwadar, Pakistan (employed to offload Iranian oil destined for China). Given that Iran and China are major political/economic rivals, it's a pity the US media fails to report on any of this.
I blog about this at "Our CIA freedom fighters in Pakistan"
Oh baloney what a bunch of political hocus pocus.I think the doctors are doing a few too many drugs.
I see that all my links in the prior comment were deleted. The first link was to an article at Zerohedge dot com entitled "CIA Agent Caught Red Handed Aiding Pakistani Terrorism."
The second is from a an article at HTTP realisticbird dot wordpress dot com entitled entitled "Blowback from the arrest of the CIAs Raymond Davis."
The last is from "Our CIA Freedom Fighters in Pakistan" at stuartbramhall dot com