Diplomatic Immunity

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personal or national gain has grown out of proportion. What once protected
the diplomat and his staff from parking tickets and some differing social laws,
now grants them protection under the law to commit crimes such as drug
trafficking, kidnapping, rape, and murder. Even though serious crimes are rare
and punishable to various extents in most countries, domestic authorities were
forced to look the other way. While it would be convenient to believe that the
six hundred pounds of marijuana was sent for personal consumption at the embassy,
it is evident a small drug trafficking ring was being protected under the guise
of diplomatic immunity.

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION

The international community has tried to develop a universally accepted set of
norms governing the conduct and privileges of diplomats abroad. These few
Articles from the convention show the good faith of the convention:

Article 29: Diplomats are inviolable; exempt from any arrest/detention.

Article 31: Diplomats ...

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was used to permit secrecy on official visits by
foreign staff. This policy of ultimate secrecy becomes important when diplomats
are venturing into unfriendly territory. Further, an explicit trust is granted
to the diplomats to allow for free communication between the diplomat and their
sending country. However this gracious offer of trust allows for easy abuse. A
British foreign affairs committee declared, "The only way, in fact, to find out
if diplomatic bags contain prohibited items would be to drop them while
unloading them from the aircraft and hope that they would split open" ("First
Report of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons," p. 617).

Smuggling of drugs, ...

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