Latest news with #USDiplomat
LBCI
02-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Kyiv says trying to 'clarify' US weapons halt
Kyiv said on Wednesday that it was seeking concrete information from Washington regarding the White House's announcement that the United States would halt some weapons supplies to Ukraine. "We are clarifying the situation. I think that everything will be clarified in the coming days," presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters shortly after Kyiv summoned a U.S. diplomat to stress the "critical importance" of American military supplies in defending against the Russian invasion. AFP
BBC News
21-06-2025
- BBC News
Harry Dunn: What happened in the case of teenage motorcyclist?
Almost six years since the death of motorcyclist Harry Dunn outside a US military base in the UK, an investigative review has criticised the way Northamptonshire Police handled the driver of the car involved in the collision, US diplomat Anne Sacoolas, was handed an eight-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to criminal did a road collision end up with the victim's family losing confidence in the police and the Northamptonshire force being criticised in an official report? Who was Harry Dunn? Mr Dunn's mother, Charlotte Charles, said the 19-year-old was "larger than life" with a "great" sense of 27 August 2019, he died in a crash near RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire, after Sacoolas's car struck his motorbike moments after she left the car was driving on the right-hand side of the road when it should have been on the had diplomatic immunity asserted on her behalf by the US administration. They then both left the UK. Who is Anne Sacoolas? Sacoolas was described in the 2025 investigative review of the case as "a married mother of three" who had "held a US drivers' licence and had done so since the age of 15".At the time of the collision in 2019, her husband Jonathan was a US intelligence officer and the couple and their three children had been in the UK for a few family's four-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son had been in the car with their mother when the collision happened. They had been attending a barbecue at RAF a court hearing in Virginia in 2021, a barrister said that Ms Sacoolas herself had been "employed by an intelligence agency in the US" at the time of the crash and her work was "especially a factor" in her leaving the immunity gives some people, such as foreign diplomats and, in some cases, their families, protection from arrest and prosecution in their host had, however, been a secret agreement between the UK and US governments that allowed for the prosecution of diplomats for crimes committed outside their duties but gave their families greater protection. Why did the crash cause a diplomatic row? Following the fatal crash, Mr Dunn's parents Mrs Charles and Tim Dunn, aided by spokesperson Radd Seiger, began a campaign to have the case brought to led them to the White House and a meeting in October 2019 with Donald Trump, then in his first term as US the meeting, he revealed Sacoolas was in the next room, but the family felt "ambushed" and did not meet December 2019, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge Sacoolas with causing Mr Dunn's an extradition request for her to be brought to the UK was rejected by the US the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, when she was Foreign Secretary, raised the case with the US government. How did Anne Sacoolas end up in court? In the absence of extradition, the family launched a civil claim for damages against Sacoolas and her husband in the December 2021, the CPS said Sacoolas would appear at court in the UK to face unspecified a month later it said the court date had been postponed to allow "ongoing" discussions with the US national's legal a change in the law meant Sacoolas was able to appear in court via video-link and she pleaded guilty on screen at the Old Bailey to causing death by careless driving on 20 October 2022. The 45-year-old was originally charged with causing death by dangerous driving, but the CPS accepted her plea to the lesser was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment suspended for 12 months, once again appearing via video-link after the US government advised Sacoolas not to attend her sentencing was also disqualified from driving for 12 months. What did Harry Dunn's family say after the hearing? Mrs Charles said: "Getting to court and getting to where we are now has been the most monumental thing for me because I can talk to him now and tell him we've done it. Promise complete."Mr Dunn Snr said: "I go up to the crash site quite a lot - I went there a couple of days ago to strim and put some daffodils in ready for the spring."Hopefully we've given hope to other families that they can do the same as us and get justice and believe and fight because it will happen in the end, it will happen." What has happened since the sentencing? A second funeral for Mr Dunn was held in March 2024 after human tissue was found on clothing returned to the inquest in June 2024 concluded Mr Dunn died as a result of a road traffic collision, and the coroner called for driver training to be given to US personnel working in the UK. Northamptonshire Police launched an investigation into how the case was handled from the beginning. What did the investigation find? The review, written by a former senior police officer, made 38 separate found that, while officers believed Sacoolas was in a state of shock at the time, she "could and should have been arrested" after the also revealed that Mr Dunn was subjected to drug testing after the collision, but Sacoolas was review said none of the officers at the scene managed to gather footage from their body-worn cameras. It was also very critical of the chief constable at the time, Nick Adderley, who was sacked for gross misconduct in 2024 for lying about his career in the Royal said he made "erroneous statements" about Sacoolas's immunity status, and should not have criticised the family's spokesperson, Radd Seiger, at a press conference. The force has apologised for failing to "do the very best for the victim".Mrs Charles said: "I'm absolutely bewildered that the most fundamental of policing was not carried out. I'm struggling to get my head around that."Mr Seiger said Mr Adderley "nearly derailed" attempts to get justice for Mr Dunn but that Northamptonshire Police, under a new chief constable, was now "headed in the right direction". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
UK police slammed for not arresting US diplomat's wife in fatal crash
An independent review in Britain criticized police on Wednesday for failing to arrest a US diplomat's wife after she killed a British teenager in a car accident before fleeing the country in 2019. The accident in which Harry Dunn, 19, died became a diplomatic issue between the UK and United States, leading to his family meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House. Anne Sacoolas, who was driving on the wrong side of the road outside the US military base at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, claimed in the ensuing days to have diplomatic immunity. Sacoolas, whose husband was an intelligence official and has herself been reported to have been a CIA operative, left Britain soon after hitting Dunn on his motorbike in the August 2019 accident. The review, commissioned by Northamptonshire's chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, said the decision not to arrest her was partly based on 'information received that Anne Sacoolas was in shock.' 'While the welfare of any person is a concern for officers, this should not have prevented the arrest of Anne Sacoolas,' it said. The review said officers made the decision believing Dunn's injuries to be survivable and that had this not been the case they would have made an arrest. But it found that after his death there was no further discussion documented of whether Sacoolas should be detained. 'The review has potentially highlighted a culture of not arresting... which could lead to evidence not being obtained and influencing a charging decision or a sentence on conviction,' it said. The review also criticized the Northamptonshire force's former chief Nick Adderley. After relations with Dunn's family broke down there were 'multiple areas of direct involvement from CC (Chief Constable) Adderley which had a detrimental impact' on the senior investigating officer and their team as they tried to 'rebuild trust', it added. After her return to the United States, Sacoolas refused to go back to the UK to face court proceedings. She eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link from the US to a London court. She was handed an eight-month prison sentence in December 2022, suspended for 12 months, meaning she would not serve jail time unless she committed another offence in that time. Reacting to the review, Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said it 'confirms what we have known for years -- that we were failed by the very people we should have been able to trust.' 'Harry was left to die on the roadside. Sacoolas was not arrested, even though the police had every power to do so,' she said.
Arab News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UK police slammed for not arresting US diplomat's wife in fatal crash
LONDON: An independent review in Britain criticized police on Wednesday for failing to arrest a US diplomat's wife after she killed a British teenager in a car accident before fleeing the country in 2019. The accident in which Harry Dunn, 19, died became a diplomatic issue between the UK and United States, leading to his family meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House. Anne Sacoolas, who was driving on the wrong side of the road outside the US military base at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire, claimed in the ensuing days to have diplomatic immunity. Sacoolas, whose husband was an intelligence official and has herself been reported to have been a CIA operative, left Britain soon after hitting Dunn on his motorbike in the August 2019 accident. The review, commissioned by Northamptonshire's chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, said the decision not to arrest her was partly based on 'information received that Anne Sacoolas was in shock.' 'While the welfare of any person is a concern for officers, this should not have prevented the arrest of Anne Sacoolas,' it said. The review said officers made the decision believing Dunn's injuries to be survivable and that had this not been the case they would have made an arrest. But it found that after his death there was no further discussion documented of whether Sacoolas should be detained. 'The review has potentially highlighted a culture of not arresting... which could lead to evidence not being obtained and influencing a charging decision or a sentence on conviction,' it said. The review also criticized the Northamptonshire force's former chief Nick Adderley. After relations with Dunn's family broke down there were 'multiple areas of direct involvement from CC (Chief Constable) Adderley which had a detrimental impact' on the senior investigating officer and their team as they tried to 'rebuild trust,' it added. After her return to the United States, Sacoolas refused to go back to the UK to face court proceedings. She eventually pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving via video link from the US to a London court. She was handed an eight-month prison sentence in December 2022, suspended for 12 months, meaning she would not serve jail time unless she committed another offense in that time. Reacting to the review, Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles said it 'confirms what we have known for years — that we were failed by the very people we should have been able to trust.' 'Harry was left to die on the roadside. Sacoolas was not arrested, even though the police had every power to do so,' she said.
News24
04-06-2025
- General
- News24
Taiwan president hails courage of Tiananmen Square demonstrators: ‘We refuse to forget history'
The world will not forget the Tiananmen Square crackdown, said Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. On 4 June 1989, Chinese troops opened fire to end student-led pro-democracy protests. China has never provided a full death toll. The world will never forget China's 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Taiwan's president and the top US diplomat said on the 36th anniversary of an event Beijing treats as taboo and allows no public remembrance. The events on and around the central Beijing square on 4 June 1989 when Chinese troops opened fire to end the student-led pro-democracy protests, are not publicly discussed in China and the anniversary is not officially marked. Public commemorations take place in overseas cities including Taipei where senior Taiwan government leaders often use the anniversary to criticise China and urge it to face up to what it did. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, in a post on Facebook on Wednesday, praised the courage of those who took part in the protests, saying human rights are a concept shared by Taiwan and other democracies that transcend generations and borders. READ | China escalates military pressure on Taiwan with 'more provocative' aircraft carriers, ships 'The commemoration of the June 4 Tiananmen incident is not only to mourn history, but also to perpetuate this memory,' said Lai, who Beijing detests as a 'separatist' and has rejected his repeated offers of talks. 'Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who gave their lives - and their dreams - to the idea of human rights,' he added. Not only do we refuse to forget history, we will implement our core values every day. Lai Ching-te US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday praised the courage of the Chinese people who were killed in the bloody crackdown. 'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' Rubio said in a statement. 'The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget,' he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. The United States, in its commemoration of the Tiananmen protests in 1989, 'distorted' historical facts and attacked China's political system, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. China has lodged a complaint to the US side, Lin Jian, spokesperson at the Chinese ministry, said at a regular news conference. Johannes Neudecker/picture alliance via Getty Images Australia marked the anniversary saying that Canberra remains committed to protecting and supporting human rights including freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of political participation. 'On this day, we join communities around the world to remember the loss of life at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989,' Australia's Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau, Gareth Williams, said in a post on X. Before dawn on 4 June 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers. Peter Parks/AFP China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into thousands. China blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the ruling Communist Party. Security around the square was tightened on Tuesday with increased police presence. Police officers set up multiple checkpoints for identification checks on motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, and also prevented people from taking photographs near the square. There was no discussion about the historic event on Chinese social media, which are heavily censored by authorities. The Tiananmen Mothers, which represents relatives of those killed, put out this week their annual statement calling for a public accounting of what happened. 'The executioners of that year have passed away one after another, but as the continuation of the ruling party, the current government has a responsibility to respond to and address the Tiananmen Massacre,' Zhang Xianling, whose son Wang Nan was killed, said in a video message. Peter Parks/AFP In Hong Kong, where thousands used to gather to mark the anniversary before China's imposition of a national security law in 2020, security was tight around Victoria Park, the site of the previous mass candlelight vigils. Hong Kong's leader John Lee said on Tuesday police would take stringent enforcement actions against any acts endangering national security. A performance artist was forced to leave the vicinity of the park and a shop selling small white candles was raided by customs officials on Tuesday. One jailed pro-democracy activist, Chow Hang-tung, is staging a 36-hour hunger strike in prison to mark the anniversary.
