Diplomatic Immunity
The inviolability of envoys and embassies under the Vienna Convention
Overview
The 1961 Vienna Convention codified millennia of practice, granting envoys immunity from arrest and jurisdiction, inviolability of premises and the diplomatic bag, and exemption from most local law, balanced by non interference duties. Abuse ranges from parking fines to serious crime, with expulsion as persona non grata the remedy since immunity is not exemption from local law. Consular officers enjoy less under the 1963 convention. The rules keep channels open when relations are worst, which is their point. The 1961 convention drew on centuries of usage and the codifications attempted by earlier regional bodies.
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