The day after Indian newspapers reported that police had raided the Gurgaon home of a Saudi Arabian diplomat who has been accused of illegally confining and repeatedly raping two Nepalese women, the press in the kingdom express strong disapproval at the action. The kingdom's two English-language dailies both carried the news prominently on their front pages, with headlines that focused not on the sexual assault charges but suggesting instead that the Indian authorities had erred in carrying out the raid in the first place.
"Indian policemen barge into Saudi diplomat’s home," said the headline in the Saudi Gazette. Quoting the Al-Watan Arabic daily, the Gazette claimed that the Indian police had assaulted the diplomat's family. It went on to quote Saudi Ambassador to India Muhammad Al-Sati denying the charges against the diplomat.
Arab News chose to run with the deadline, "Flayed: Raid on KSA diplomat’s home in India."
The article relied heavily on the protest lodged by Saud Al-Sati, Saudi ambassador to India, with India's External Affairs Ministry and on an interview he gave to the News. "The embassy protested to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs over 'police intrusion' into a diplomat’s house in violation of 'all diplomatic conventions'," the report said. “Such an attack on a diplomat and his family members contravenes the protection clauses of the Vienna Convention.”
"Indian policemen barge into Saudi diplomat’s home," said the headline in the Saudi Gazette. Quoting the Al-Watan Arabic daily, the Gazette claimed that the Indian police had assaulted the diplomat's family. It went on to quote Saudi Ambassador to India Muhammad Al-Sati denying the charges against the diplomat.
Arab News chose to run with the deadline, "Flayed: Raid on KSA diplomat’s home in India."
The article relied heavily on the protest lodged by Saud Al-Sati, Saudi ambassador to India, with India's External Affairs Ministry and on an interview he gave to the News. "The embassy protested to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs over 'police intrusion' into a diplomat’s house in violation of 'all diplomatic conventions'," the report said. “Such an attack on a diplomat and his family members contravenes the protection clauses of the Vienna Convention.”
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