Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs says the case of the Iraqi twins’ attack on a 15-year-old boy in Ponte de Sor is very serious and that he wants justice to be done.
The minister, Augusto Santos Silva, does not know whether the two sons of the Iraqi ambassador are in the country but claims the Portuguese authorities have maintained "informal contacts through diplomatic channels" with the Iraqi embassy.
Seemingly unconcerned that SEF border control or any other security service have no idea if the twins are in Portugal, or have fled, the minister said that diplomatic immunity is a tool that "can not be perverted in this way" and that "diplomatic immunity covers the freedom of movement of persons."
Newspaper reports at the weekend claimed the twins had travelled to Madrid and took a flight out of Europe but appeared in Portugal to give statements.
The minister aims to do everything to find out the facts, and if a prosecution is warranted, he wants a "fair trial, fair and as rapidly as possible."
Tempering his comments with the internationally agreed rules covering diplomatic immunity, Silva went on to state that "Portugal will make the steps that are within reach under the Vienna Convention."
Silva claims to be concerned about the case, his opinion is that, "diplomatic immunity is intended to protect diplomats and not to allow the abuse of anyone."
One option is for Portugal formally to request the lifting of diplomatic immunity for the two Iraqis who drove an embassy Mercedes into Rúben Cavaco and proceeded to beat him senseless, leaving the boy in intensive care and requiring reconstructive surgery to his face.
The other is for Portugal to declare the Iraqi Ambassador, Saad Mohammed Ridha Ali, persona non grata which would allow the boys to be arrested and charged. The problem here is that they are nowhere to be found and at the moment, nobody is looking for them as they currently are immune from prosecution.
Rúben Cavaco remains in Lisbon at the Santa Maria Hospital while an investigation is carried out by the judicial authorities to 'establish the facts.'
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