Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» Why does DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY exist? If you kill someone in a different country why should you escape punishment/responsibility?
Because generally, the upside outweighs the downside. Imagine if it didn't exist ... our diplomats could be arrested (and tortured to extract a confession) for crimes they didn't commit.
Now, if EVERY country had fair legal systems, we wouldn't have to worry about that scenario. But since the majority of the world doesn't ...
This is very confusing Walt. Aren't diplomats in foreign countries with the PERMISSION of those countries? Can you just set up an embassy in a foreign country without having received it's blessing? Aren't diplomats supposed to be a good thing? So if the countries in question allow permit welcome it why would they do as your scenario suggests? I'm serious. Am I being incredibly naive? I wonder if any countries have refused permission to accept a diplomat from our country? I'm gonna ask. Sorry to be so obtuse on this one but it really makes no sense to me at all the way it is. Thank you for your reply Walt! :)
Yes ... diplomats are at the discretion of the "host" nation. And embassies are technically "home soil" to the nation that has the embassy. That's why they are often protected by soldiers of that nation, as if it's a military base.
But the law of diplomatic immunity goes back hundreds of years, for a good reason. During earlier ages, it wasn't uncommon for the "host" nation to "send a message" by killing the representative of the other government. Hence the saying: Don't kill the messenger.
There you go again Walt! Informing me of something I didn't know. So that's where the saying originated? I see. Okay then. Who am I to reverse hundreds of years of historical precedent? Thank you for your reply and Happy Monday! :)
Walt O'Reagun 