By Matthew Russell Lee, TV Review
UNITED NATIONS, June 29 -- The UN system has become so low-profile if not to say irrelevant during the tenure of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that any mainstream coverage might seen good. And so some welcomed NBC's new series “Crossing Lines,” which uses the International Criminal Court, albeit inaccurately and absurdly.
In the pilot double episode, a “dream team” of six detectives wants to investigate four killings in four European countries, but doesn't have jurisdiction. How to solve this plot problem? Travel to The Hague and meet Luis Moreno Ocampo facsimile Donald Sutherland.
At first Sutherland / Ocampo demurs. But then after a reference to Kosovo, a card is played: the crime of aggression. That's it -- Sutherland gives the detectives a warrant. And they're off to Paris.
But there the local authorities are not impressed by the ICC, not unlike the current government of Kenya. The detectives are locked up until they show their ICC paper. They are released. Simple as that.
The bad guy uses diplomatic immunity, American, to drive through check points without getting his car searched. This week at the UN, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey about a Peruvian diplomatic to the UN now charged with human trafficking. Not our problem, Del Buey in essence said. Transcript here. And below.
The idea of the ICC being used against immunity, though, brings to mind for example the UN's own immune Ruud Lubbers, here. Or why not the UN bringing cholera to Haiti?
The whole thing makes one wonder why the ICC could do nothing -- nothing! -- about the killing of 40,000 civilians in Sri Lanka in 2009. There wasn't even much call for ICC involvement, unlike today in Syria. It's only TV. And that was a war without witnesses.
One imagines a realistic show about the UN. One imagines. Watch this site.
Inner City Press: could I ask you about a charge of human trafficking against a UN diplomat that works at the UN in the Peruvian Mission. And given --
Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Well, excuse me…
Inner City Press: Alright.
Deputy Spokesperson: He does not work at the UN.
Inner City Press: In the UN.
Deputy Spokesperson: He works for the Peruvian Mission.
Inner City Press: Okay, absolutely. He is a UN diplomat. My question is just, given the important of this topic to the Secretary-General and the Secretariat in general, does he take any interest in this case? Do they see this as a proper use of immunity? If the allegations are true is this a proper use of the term human trafficking and is there some concern that people work in the building, not for the UN, have you know, immunity that this may be a loophole for human trafficking?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, we are not going to prejudge what happens until we have the information, Matthew.
Inner City Press: Right, but you will seek the information…?
Deputy Spokesperson: Well, we are…
Inner City Press: I mean, at some point?
Deputy Spokesperson: …we are obviously monitoring…
Inner City Press: Okay.
Deputy Spokesperson: …the situation, but as I said at the beginning, this… the reports we’ve seen are of a Peruvian diplomat assigned to the Peruvian Mission at the United Nations…
Inner City Press: Sure.
Deputy Spokesperson: …not a United Nations staff member…
Inner City Press: No, I understand.
Deputy Spokesperson: …not a member of the general Secretariat.
Inner City Press: Sure.
