Pakistan Defies US, Begins Trial of CIA Contractor

Pakistan held a preliminary hearing in the murder trial of Raymond Davis today inside the jail where the American is being held, ABC News reports. But Davis, a US embassy worker and CIA contractor, refused to sign a list of the charges against him, instead presenting the judge with a petition saying he had diplomatic immunity, according to a US official and an attorney who was present.

The hearing was held in the jail for security reasons; Davis is so controversial in Pakistan that dogs taste his food for poison and his guards have had their guns taken away. Davis has consistently argued that he has diplomatic immunity, and refused to answer police questions (see video). Pakistan has vowed to address that issue in a separate court proceeding on March 14, Reuters reports. The murder trial, meanwhile, is to proceed on March 3. (More Raymond Davis stories.)