The way I see it as a foreigner in the USA it's that the story is really scary and we can not expect anything less whenever anybody travels to the US. The bad part of this story is the sheer abuse of force by immigration officers, instead of conducting a questioning without handcuffing the passenger and respecting his dignity (why treat him as delinquent alien instead of presuming his innocence).
Moreover the lack of protection by a lawyer or at least the embassy or the IMF as granted by the sixth amendment in the US constitution (that does not make distinction between Citizens and non - Citizens) is regrettable
Article [VI.]
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
The interesting part is that the victim was member of a multinational organization that has some sort of privileges like not needing any sort of visa approval, not paying taxes in the US, and a quasi diplomatic status. What would have happened if the victim in case was a simple traveler without all this added protections.
Don't get me wrong I am not against questioning and this is something that we will have to get used to in a new world order with terrorist threats around us, but that does not justify trashing the constitution or violating your rights. Maybe this is a case for the Institute for Justice
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