With television channels today describing how rapidly 15-year-old Rúben Cavaco appears to be recovering from his brutal beating at the hands of the twin sons of Portugal’s Iraqi ambassador (see RÚBEN CAVACO: FAMILY ‘OPEN TO DEAL WITH IRAQI EMBASSY’ in our morning story click here), news this afternoon is centring on pressure being put on the embassy to decide whether or not it will indeed lift the boys’ status of diplomatic immunity.
As national media and invited experts have continually pointed out, the twins’ questioning as arguidos (official suspects) is paramount in this investigation.
It will particularly help police discover whether or not the 17-year-olds acted alone when their victim was rendered unrecogniseable in a vicious attack, or whether they were helped by a security guard working for the embassy.
For now, Portugal’s foreign office has simply explained that as a result of its call on August 25 for diplomatic immunity to be lifted, it is now asking for a response from the Iraqis “with urgency”.
Should this not be forthcoming in the next few days, the ministry led by Augusto Santos Silva has said it has tabled a meeting with counterparts from Iraq when representatives of the two countries meet in New York on September 19 as part of the UN general assembly.
PHOTO: Portugal’s foreign affairs minister Augusto Santos Silva
