Does Diplomatic Immunity Really Make It So You Can Get Away with Murder?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2018
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In this video:
While the idea of some form of diplomatic immunity has existed seemingly as long as there have been humans banding together in some form, the modern rules surrounding this were originally laid out in 1961 at the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, with to date 191 different nations ratifying that treaty. Pop culture would have you believe that these rules function as something of a “get out of jail free” card for any and all crimes committed by diplomats.
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Sources:
www.nber.org/papers/w12312.pdf
www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped...
www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/di...
treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDet...
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lo...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20...
www.state.gov/ofm/customs/c370...
www.rd.com/advice/diplomatic-i...
www.theguardian.com/cities/20...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Si...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
foreignpolicy.com/2011/02/15/...
www.diplomacy.edu/resources/g...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploma...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikko_a...
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Well as the news today shows; even a spouse of a US Diplomat, driving out of RAF Croughton, can indeed “get away with murder”. She has now fled the UK leaving a British family devastated after she drove into their 19 year old son on his motorbike, killing him.
Than they ambushed his parents in the White House to force and stage forgiveness.
Correction, a high ranking CIA agent
This is the problem with this, in theory she should be charged but the real question is in what country, it should be in the USA but she might not get a murder charge, accidentally killing someone is a lower sentence, they could of talked to her, it was up to them, they should of known she was there before hand though
That woman did not have diplomatic immunity! Had she actually had it, the host country definitely would have had record of it, and she would have had no need to leave the country the way she did. Whoever authorised and helped her to leave the country in such a shady way is the real villain and should be punished too.
I feel so sorry for his parents, they seem so nice aswell. Makes me upset thinking about it and honestly I don’t normally get upset.
Winston Churchill: “Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.”
God damn I love this 😂
That is a brilliant string of words.
Aral Ynot I've got to agree with you there Aral, it's genius!
Aspect Science I read that quote and burst out laughing because I would love to see the face of the person who he said that too!
Actually the first to say it is anonymous, but it is still a great phrase (quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/03/diplomat/)
alex kuhn hahaha so true! I really hope to use this line one day haha! Who would you use it on?
I live near an international elementary school in the Netherlands, and every diplomatic car I see there is just dumped on the street with zero respect for the local parking laws. Also a Dutch reporter was punched in the face by some diplomat or his bodyguard, when asking questions about the parking behavior near an embassy. So yeah, I don’t particularly like them.
Just walk down the street scratching every single car. Oops! Didn't realize I had my keys out!
Sounds like the Wild West.
I saw a car with diplomatic license plates refuse to let an ambulance with full sirene pass. Just blocking the ambulanc's way to the hospital.
The car in question was from the US embassay btw. The diplomatic license plates in Denmark have a system so you can tell what country they are from if you know what ranges they are given.
@lcyw20 Grace also had a cat fight with a South African model and got away with it. However Norh Korean diplomats have been smuggling for the state and did get caught and prosecuted so you are not always getting away with diplomatic immunity when you are from a paria state.
@@sparkplug1018 do that and you probably get arrested or at least owe a hefty fine and bill unless you also happen to be diplomat.
The Swedish King has immunity, so when he's being stopped by the police for speeding (Many times, yes, this is a real thing). They have to let him go.
Seems like no no no definitely something that I would do if I were King
The Queen of England has this privilege as well.
Most if not all the monarchs have that unfortunately...
@@jeffreyskoritowski4114 not worldwide see the map.
@@jeffreyskoritowski4114 enter on google where english qeen have immunity
I would use a diplomatic bag to smuggle kinder eggs, since they're banned in the US
Actually legal for I think a year now
They were recently made legal.
You monster
khartog01 Really, "regular" Kinder eggs are legal now in the US? Cool! I haven't seen them in stores, yet, though. All I see are the "Americanized" Kinder eggs, with the toy and the chocolate in separately sealed halves. Not that I'm complaining, though. Even the Americanized version is delicious.
I'll I have seen is a chocolate treat with a toy in it. If there's difference in the ones sold elsewhere, hooray for those countries. I got a Batman toy from one. It's awesome.
The worst example of a diplomat getting away with murder was the shooting of Yvonne Fletcher, a policewoman in London in 1984. Shots were fired from the windows of the Libyan embassy at demonstrators protesting about Gaddafi, hitting protesters and mortally wounding Yvonne. The police surrounded the embassy but couldn't storm the building for diplomatic reasons and it resulted in a siege but no convictions.
@Stephen Hill it's by far the biggest example I've ever known about. I assumed that it would be the final example Simon would mention but it was a kidnapping (granted it's a very interesting story that I'd never heard about before) I'm old enough to remember seeing the Yvonne Fletcher murder on the TV and in the papers, seeing the picture of her hat laying in the road (and i was only 10 years old at the time) A very sad incident, and I'm sure infuriating for her colleagues who had to watch the Libyans file out knowing the murderer was one of them and nothing could be done. There's a really good documentary that covers what happened that day that I highly recommend.
*David Kennedy*
Britain got their revenge in 2011.
David Kennedy UK Police are pussies
@@kevinjohnson1139 yeah, shame it took so long though.
@@homefront3162 it wouldn't have matter what country it happened in as it's Diplomatic Immunity (which is what this whole vid is about. If you class a countries police force as 'pussies' because we don't have weekly shootings of unarmed minorities, then I'm glad they are. Just for your information (I'm guessing you're American) we do have armed branches of the police force that have had to shoot to kill, it's just over here it's not for a traffic stop or because of the colour of a person's skin.
"I assure you, that shipping container has only diplomatic papers. A LOT of papers."
Gotcha winkwink
They use shipping containers marked as containing sensitive art to human traffick and smuggle shit into the country as well. they can't legally open containers marked as such thanks to some incredibly obviously manufactured loopholes in the law.
“Salute “ 🤣
ah yes, my concise 5 billion page report I wrote last night.
3:00 "Smuggling drugs, attempting to kill police offers nearing retirement, and drowning their own personal secretaries when they became a little too close to an officer." Believe it or not, but back in the late 80's I saw a documentary where a diplomat from South Africa did all three of those crimes!
Art imitates life.
Yeah it didn't end up too good for that guy.
Was his name Arjin Rudd? If so, you're talking about "Lethal Weapon 2."
Back in March 1982 the South African High Commission in London assisted two of their intelligence people to bomb the ANC shop in Islington, north London. MI5 had evidence about the two suspects and could have arrested them at the airport, but either bungled it or were overruled from above (Margaret Thatcher) not to peruse the perpetrators. This is on top of smuggling weapons to the IRA and running drug to help finance the failing apartheid regime. Now makes you wonder how much of the film Lethal Weapon 2 was based on fact and fiction.
@Ryan *3:08 *personal *a *little too close
Never rent to a diplomat. If they stop paying rent, you'll never get the money back.
Not really.you don't rent a house to a diplomat.what happens is that you rent to their embassy.the embassy will approach you and do a contract.
And when the embassy stops paying rent, you're still screwed. ;-(
th-cam.com/video/t6NWXc_FtpM/w-d-xo.html
@@mojothepain4087 not really, the diplomat makes the contract himself with his or her name on that contract.
I don't speak surrender, is there a version of this in English?
Get what money back? It's rent, you never have it until it's paid. LOL
My wife was rear ended and her car totalled at a standing red light.Car hit her at high speed without hitting the brakes.
Guy gets out and starts yelling at her,cop shows up and he goes from perfect English to not understanding English and produces a diplomatic identification.The cop had to let him go and my wifes car was totaled and the middle eastern diplomat was never held responsible.He never provided insurance or payment for the damage or medical bills.
moral of the story? don't get rearended by a diplomat, also if your wife has insurance it would have paid so i dont see what you are whining about..
@@peterf.229 actually no,the insurance didn't cover it because "diplomatic immunity" negates the crime......it's his insurance that should cover it for it one and obviously you are ignorant as fuck or you would know it's not covered.
Not now or in 1970s Los Angeles when it happened and laws aren't different now....not whining,it's just truth.
@@jacobishii6121 If you don't want to deal with trolls don't post on public internet forums.
Peter F. You’re an ass clown, Peter. Diplomatic immunity negates any culpability on the offender’s side- leaving the victim left to foot the bill. The fact that you barked that “his wife’s insurance would pay for it anyway”... only proves that you’re about as naive you sound. If her insurance is forced to cover the damage, not only will she be liable for the $500-$3,000 deductible (upfront), but her premiums will also increase for a minimum of three to five years. So, your comment is worthless. In fact, every time you open your mouth, you show your ignorance.
@@TheBoss-jf6de how did you know his mouth was open as he was TYPING a comment.....stalker😒
There really should be some international court that prosecutes crimes committed by diplomats paneled by nations with no investment in a particular case
Why? How can you not see that fast becoming corrupt? My country do your country a favour and we will pay you back. Wink wink.
Simon Lundblad Roth Not anymore corrupt than diplomatic immunity.
Find a single nation not invested in another one; either directly or by proxy
This is so cute and naive
I don't know why you think that countries would just band together to make an international court
"Diplomatic Immunity"
Costs 1 Blue mana and one mana of any color
It is an enchantment that says "Enchanted creature cannot be the target of spells or abilities" and "Diplomatic Immunity cannot be the target of spells or abilities"
Unexpected MTG
Recently in Portugal the sons of an Iraquian Diplomate ran over and beat a teenager to a pulp and absolutly nothing happened to them. They were put on a plane and went back to their rich life.
Id murder the iraqi ambassador in exchange. Call it an act of war. No geneva convention rules for me, to hell with the rulers!
So, in short … the answer is … :: Yes/No kind of maybe sorta.
Isn’t it always
I'd say it's more like the answer is yes but that doesn't necessarily mean diplomats can break the law at will without any consequence.
Answer is yes but most countries will waive it for genuine serious crimes that the nation state wasn't involved in themselves.
Remember reading about some young man/teen who'd got it into his head that his father, who worked at their embassy, had diplomatic immunity and that therefore he did too. He went out and raped a woman in London. Their embassy waived it while investigating whether he had it at all...and then found his dad was just a cleaner and not diplomatic staff at all, so he had never been entitled to it. But point was they'd given the police the go ahead even before they'd checked who exactly he was. Nice insight into how dangerous some people can become if they think there's no consequences.
When I lived in Geneva my Swiss wife told me always stay well clear of any UN or foreign diplomats car for good reasons
Yeah i lived in San Francisco for a hot minute the consulate and diplomat drivers were, bluntly, assholes.
Fortunately one of the areas top chiefs of police had enough their shit and told them to take it up with a consolates office for any complaints about following local laws. It was amazing how fast they stoped acting like bullies. They got flagrant as fuck to. Some thai diplomats were high as fuck on opium they were spoking at a coffee restaurant and cause a horrendous multicar pileup. Or their was the time a Chinese diplomat was just a straitup up cunt. they reminded them they aren't any obligation to protect them from Karma, that if they cut through a a rough area, they might "just happen" to be on another call. It didn't take long for them to cut that shit out.
I don't know to what country. But their was some diplomat that went through oaklands roughest hood, and after running redlights being generally shitty people. Some locals stripped their care while they were eating. Police "accidentally" lost that report.
Perhaps my favorite video from Simon Whistler (forgive me if I spelled your name wrong). I've had Diplomatic Immunity most of my life from my Dad and I was never able to get a straight answer as to why Diplomats get immunity. Your first point about guarding against coercion from host governments make so much sense. Thank you!!!
I've seen a car with diplomat plates on driving like he was in "Grand Theft Auto" once! Yikes!
The first thing I thought of was the end of Lethal Weapon 2. "Diplomatic immunity revoked"
When I was younger I lived outside of Washington DC and one of my best friends father was a diplomat from Turkey and his uncle diplomat staff. When my buddy got his license he never worried about tickets and his driving was proof of it. I enjoyed and despised riding with him
It really is "Don't shoot the messenger" but sometimes the messenger actually did it.
Diplomats aside, if the queen were to kill someone what would happen?
mavos1211 As head of state she has sovereign immunity. Quite literally.
Then they freaking deserved it. The queen of England is a badass.
She would level up.
She would go unpunished because she is the queen and her word is law if she says she's not going to jail then she's not going to jail although that won't stop the public from scolding her or even revolting against her
Dustin Yeary haha I completely agree!
YOU MAKE ME SMARTER EVERY TIME YOU POST !
That is *literally* the holy grail of us Educational TH-camrs! I hope I do the same because you're so right - I've learnt so much from Simon (and his incredible team!)
Aspect Science, subscribed
Alejandro Cobarrubias Oh wow, thanks so much Alejandro! I'm actually stoked someone from Today I Found Out liked my content! Thanks a lot!!!
@@alejandrocobarrubias8457 👍👌👏👏👏👏👏☺
smarter every day is another channel but close enough looollzz
So my question in all of this is what happened to those engineers, are they still still serving their sentences? It's ridiculous how two innocent people can be thrown in jail just because somebody got kidnapped. It's a shame Britain can't do anything to free those engineers, they weren't the ones committing crimes.
I know! It's ridiculous. I wanted to hear some more about that, but it seems that bam, 14y sentence it is. Really harsh, unwarranted. Nigeria should have realized that Britain had no choice but to arrest the hostage takers, this is a serious crime taken further than any of the law makers probably envisioned.
The two engineers, Mr. Angus Paterson, who lives in Inverurie, and Mr. Kenneth Clarke, who lives in Blackburn. were freed three years later.
their names: api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1985/feb/27/british-engineers-nigeria
when released: www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/umaru-dikko-politician-who-was-kidnapped-by-agents-of-the-nigerian-government-then-discovered-in-a-9580261.html
@@xzonia1 thank you so much
lNonstop Gamerl No problem :)
xzonia1 thank you! I was so worried and couldn't find anything online
:) So in layman terms being high ranked a diplomat means to have "license to kill" like James Bond.
Diplomatic immunity works like this:
Imagine you are the parent of a handful of kids. Your boss at work, who you are not close with at all and maintain an arm's length relationship, finds out one day that you have these kids and says they have one around the same age and wants them to play together. So they give you their kid to look after for a weekend.
While that kid is there, as long as they don't do anything SUPER major, you're probably going to let them get away with a lot of stuff you wouldn't let your own kids get away with. One reason being they don't have the same rules in their house as you do in yours and another being that if you start punishing that kid and upsetting them, they're going to go cry to their daddy and then their daddy is going to bitch you out and cause issues in your work life.
The boss's kid basically has diplomatic immunity. You let them get away with more shit because you don't want to deal with the drama of daddy being mad at you and all the consequences of that.
The posting of this video on September 28 was stunningly, if not shockingly prescient with the "disappearance" of Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi just four days later during a visit to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
@LtCol Pulaski. Good point. I wonder what the case will be. Turkey has asked for the men that were sent, to be sent back to Turkey for trial. It sounds like Saudi Arabia will have them on trial instead.
@G Slim - I doubt there'll be much point to a trial in Turkey by the time the Saudis have, er, carried out the punishment that they're going to be sentenced to! :-/
I used to work for airport security at Chicago's O'Hare airport. A diplomatic pouch is required to have paperwork and courier is required to carry the bag at all times. one time a security personnel conducted an explosive trace test on the external side of the pouch. The security personnel was severely reprimanded.
This was a very cool video. I learnt a lot. My favourite part of the video is always the way you talk, it's very charming and pleasant.
I worked in United Nations for 15 years the shit that went on inside the building alone would make you tremble
Please make some videos or something. I'd watch them!
Ron Hahahaha, don't just leave us hanging... we want juicy details!
Andrei Macaria a cook from Germany stabbed a buss boy from Mexico they were both sent home to their respective countries no charges were filed and everybody came back 6 months later
Andrei Macaria People used to have sex all the building on the roof in the garden in the dining room
Ron Hahahaha, thx for letting us know! the second one (unusual as it may be) I wouldn't categorize as something to make me tremble :)
It's minor in the scheme of things, but I've had a Diplomat (at least the tags on the car said so.) cut me off three times in less than a mile. (He was so busy trying to get ahead that he wasn't getting anywhere.)
Coming up to the tollbooth in PA he came up the breakdown lane, cut me off, then decided he wanted another lane that looked faster. After the toll booths he came back up the breakdown lane again, cut me off again, this time I switched lanes and got through before him. After he once again took the breakdown lane to manage to cut the semi off one final time. It looked like he was taking his kid to college as the Mercedes was packed. Driving like he was, I was expecting him to wreck at some point.
I wasn't the only one, he was cutting off a lot of vehicles, and making friends all over the place.
Very good and informative video on a topic that I've long wanted to know more about. As usual, well done!
US embasy in slovakia put a fence in a historic city center after few years rental contract run out but fence stayed for 3 years that fence was there illegaly as illegal building just couple of monts they again agreed with the city on a new hefty rental contract
Actually, I think "smuggling drugs" is one of the main crimes commited by diplomats.
I mean.. drugs are used throughout society in almost every country of the world in some way or another.
Anyone with money and opportunity is smuggling his drugs wherever he wants.
It's probably close in the area of people moving their money away from taxation. People who can do it, do it.
theres things far more valuable than drugs, besides, military is the top smuggler of drugs.
My dad was an NYPD cop and he has told me a story about being some minor Iranian diplomat's bodyguard in the late 1980s, and having to interfere (re: stop) his arrest when he was caught soliciting a prostitute
why even bother to arrest anybody for trying to get a hooker?
it's such a waste of time on a stupid charge and nonsnse crime
Tbh if I was the dictator of some country, even a really anti-prostitution one, I think I'd just allow the diplomats to secretly bring a hooker as staff so they don't end up getting into trouble / bad PR / some kinda blackmail scheme in the country they're going to.
I enjoy your straight forward way and even comedy of delivery and the info as well...
Sometimes I put your info up against my info and verify the two as to the realities of them within the real worlds of life situations...
You stand up very well Sir with many things, and thus, this is why I appreciate you... ;-D
I’ve travelled in countries where the USA (my citizenship) made it clear to me that if I broke even the smallest law that the USA would not make any attempt to offer any aid whatever. It behooved me to study up on the important local laws that might attract the attention of LLEO’s.
Is it just me or there is an editing problem between 12:00 and 12:45. He repeats pretty much the same thing twice? The part about putting someone in a crate.
It's definitely not just you
I was about to say just that
You got stuck on that huh?
Probably a glitch in the matrix! Watch out!
This is just a test to see if you are paying attention
Ever since i watched Lethal Weapons 2 i was wondering how much abuse Diplomatic Immunity actually faces.
According what you said, Simon, it´s less that i though, yet still more than is good.
Simon, Thanks Man, you really make me happier and we get to learn, Thank you man :)
First video ever seen from this Channel months ago, instant subscribed, no regrets. Keep up the good work and educate me pl0x!
@zack bandera please
They would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling cops
This was a super interesting video. Wow.
I watch a lot of your videos on your various channels… And Simon… You are awesome! Greetings from Boise. Stay healthy. Happy new year!
I find your videos very interesting and I learned a lot. And Simon also likes the sound of your voice. :)
I’m reminded of a video of a Qatari guy driving a LaFerrari in Beverly Hills
Racing someone else, blowing through stop signs, driving like a maniac in a residential neighbourhood, crashed his car in someone’s front yard
Told a guy he could have anyone killed because he claimed he had diplomatic immunity, flicked a cigarette in his face then left the scene
Took a flight home, left his car there, no punishment
Couldn't a corrupt country make themselves look less corrupt by paying their parking tickets?
They probably can't afford it
OK, tell the Americans to pay all their parking fines in London.
@@jeffreywilliams13 the point is they could do it as a PR stunt.
@@jeffreywilliams13 he didn't say parking fines. Their fines are from shutting down road ways for armored motorcades to travel from the embassy throughout London. It's a process done in the stated very regularly for extra security, as well as something the Londom police help set up for them as well. The United States are also very accommodating to UK representatives as well.
@@SuperPope69 It is important to first know what you are talking about here, and second if you are going to make bold statements about something at least make sure you have actually visited the country in question - which in your case clearly you have not.
In London it is not possible to shut down roads for exclusive access, no matter how much you offer to pay. Even filming in London, you can only buy a permit to close a specific street at set times, subject to on-going traffic conditions. The idea that you close down whole parts of London to allow, the US, Chinese or Russia President to run their motorcade through London securely is nonsense. Not even the Queen of England could or would do this.
London is only a small city and even during the Olympic 2012, with the eyes of the world on London this did not happen, although there were some bus lanes that were converted as Olympic lanes. Given the US Ambassador lives in North London (Regents Park) and with the US Embassy in Nine Elms I would love to see them attempting to shut down the road network to accommodate the US President, there would be a riot in the streets.
Hands up I stand corrected, yes the money the US owes is for Congestion charges, and not parking, in the region of £12 million ($15.6 million)
I have a question after watching American TV. When someone is sentenced to life in prison without parole, how long to they typically live and do they actually die in prison?
Thanks for clearing it up!
Well, it sounds like instead of issuing tickets to diplomats, they should apply boots instead. The diplomat or underlying car owner will most likely pay to have a boot removed or to prevent the car from being impounded. Either way, the improperly parked car owner would be forced to pay someone for some service. That makes more sense that just having astronomical unpaid debts float between countries. I would hope that governments or government employees would make enough and be willing to fork over money under those conditions. Presumably, they would want their cars back. And, if not the cars could always be auctioned off to recoup some of the unpaid fees.
Presumably, the cars may be difficult to auction off since they are registered in different countries, and my best guess for not booting or impounding a vehicle would be for the same reasons they have immunity in the first place. If the cars are "officially" owned by the country, then that only complicates things as they are possibly considered foreign soil. There is no practical benefit to anyone involved by doing this.
No judge would be allowed to sign off on auctioning off property of a protected diplomat, if it somehow slipped through the cracks and made it that far. I guarantee that booting a car would only happen once. There would be several feds contacting or straight up visiting the highest ranking figure in the department within the hour.
The pissed off diplomat could just go to the city parking dept. and say "Hey dude I'm a diplomat you can't boot my vehicle. Remove it immediately." and they would have to. I bet they have diplomat stickers on the car's window anyways maybe a special license plate.
dannydaw59 Sure they can do that but at least the city already inconvenience them. Imagine getting booted every week and they have to spend time just to go the dept just to unboot the car(s). Giving them enough headache and they going to straighten their act.
they have special license plates and the police is not allowed to detain them. Would assume it covers their diplomatic vehicles as well
While riding with a police officer, he told me a story that he once saw a car parked illegally, ran the numbers and turned out it was a diplomat car with a bunch of tickets and decided to have it towed (New York). When said diplomat confronted him, he told him he wasn't ticketed him, but the car. The car was towed and the country didn't pay the tickets because it was more than it was worth. Apparently the mayor actually congratulated him on it.
An episode of "Columbo" used the point about consequences in his home country to tie up the loose end. The killer, from a fictional Middle Eastern country, claimed immunity, but his country's ruler made it clear that he'd face much more severe consequences at home.
I liked this video, great information that I have never known. Thank you!
It's just been revoked.
Oh look, this illegally parked car has accrued a significant number of parking violations. Well we'll just impound it then.
Exactly, impound it and haul it directly back to a car-crusher.. When it is all packed up in to a little cube made of metal and plastic, then slap a label on it that says "diplomatic pouch" and drop it off in front of the embassy.
Technically an act of War, at the very least have to pay for a replacement vehicle, could also see the person attempting to tow the vehicle SHOT and also the person towing prosecuted for interfering with a diplomat, which is also a serious crime Federal Crime, considering that most traffic matters are local misdemeanors not a real clever thing to do especially if wearing Diplomatic plates!
Interesting topic amd good report as always sir.
This is an excellent video! Well done!!!
Diplomatic immunity is originally based on customary internal law, i.e. on the principle that a visiting sovereign and his/her representatives were untouchable. Later this principle was codified into "written" international law by the Vienna convention.
With civilized countries, if their diplomat commits a serious crime abroad, they prosecute them themselves. Of course not all countries are civilized.
in other words, God Immunity, for only God may judge the Sovereign. as long as the government derives its authority from God the government shall remain sovereign. sovereign law states that the sovereign may only be judged by God, the source of the sovereign's authority.
I remember visiting Canberra (Australia's national capital) when I was younger. It was astonishing to see disability parking spots all filled with diplomatic cars. Makes you feel for any locals who actually have disabilities and can't park outside the shops.
When I was young I worked for a car parking and grooming company. The local French Ambassador parked his Peugeot with us. One day he was replaced with someone new and we weren't advised so I questioned him. He showed me his credentials and stated that he was the replacement ambassador. 2 days later it was reported that the old ambassadors' wife had got drunk at a party and had an accident on the way home (no serious injuries or deaths thankfully). They were both removed from the country within 48 hours and replaced.
I've said it before and I will say it again .. your channel is amazing. Thank you ❤
The answer is YES! in the late 1970s during a demonstration in front of the Iranian embassy in London, a member of the Iranian staff fired a submachine gun at the demonstrators and killed a policewoman. He got away scot free.
2:34 "only relatively higher ranking officials enjoy such blanket immunity"
Well, not really. If you have diplomatic status in your embassy, you are fully covered by DI even if you are an entry level diplomat (in most countries, a third secretary). It is support and administrative staff that perform non-diplomatic duties that may enjoy the limited immunity, but I see often them having full immunity too.
14:00 I'm glad I keep a Sharpie on me at all times so I can scribble notes wherever I need to for work...
thank you for this posting.
Can the entire cargo hold of a plane or a ship be also labeled a "Diplomatic bag"? Or perhaps the entire ship or plane?
And that kids, is why drug-dealing and addiction isn't going anywhere.
@@josephfilomena4786 Don't forget human sex trafficking, slavery and people being trafficked for human sacrifice in occult rituals.
@@josephfilomena4786 anywhere from 21-46 million people at least 5 million of which are estimated to be children are suspected to be enslaved across the world, such a large number could only be possible with people at the highest level of government signing off on it.
Can California be labelled diplomatic bag whenever it finally sinks into the ocean?
To be realistic, do you really think a diplomat from another country would only have a handful of papers that relate to the running of a country to transport with him? Few enough that he could personally carry them.
It is worth to be noted that both New York city and Washington DC decided to witheld 110% of unpaid tickets by diplomats to the foreign aid they owe to the nations of those diplomats.
MegaLuros slight correction, the USA does not owe anyone for foreign aid. We give it away. They may give them less... do you really think the foreign nations are going to regret their only receiving 49.99 billion instead 50 billion? LOL!
@@Erin-Thor the US receives foreign aid in the same way most other countries like the US does. When a disaster happens in the US they get foreign aid
@@Erin-Thor Ah yes the term owe was not the best.
Well it seems the cities of NY and DC do care. They do retain it from their contribution to foreign aid.
But we don't owe any nations foreign aid.
@@MogofWar Ok, not owed, just given. (See comments above)
I was a border patrol agent stationed on the Mexico/USA and Canadian/USA borders at various times.
The abuse is real from every government I’ve dealt with, including my own.
Very interesting. Enjoyed the video.
So they can get away with murder in order to prevent them from being framed for murder. Doesn't make any sense to me and sounds like it causes far more problems than it prevents, but what the hell do I know?
Without diplomatic immunity many authoritarian regimes could simply charge any diplomat for murder, arrest them, torture them for information and even execute him. You have no legal argument to stop them because they "apparently" murdered and the police has "evidence" and probably some "witnesses". The punishment for such a crime in NK may be death and torturing may be a legal technique in NK. Also countries could simply take diplomats hostage that way for political effect.
I am fine with diplomatic immunity for small things like traffic fines etc. But when it comes to murder or drugs etc etc. This type of immunity should be null and void.
What a load of BS with politicians protecting themselves in the Vienna Convention. Imagine the public could vote instead. I am betting this act would not even come close to passing.
Voting? You kidding me? Just look at the wrong-doings American politicians can legally get away with.
I understand your point, but the unwanted consequence would be that a country like Iran could simply start accusing diplomats from any country of having commited murder and stop them from doing their work. Not always is this work important, but of course they would aim at the ones that do.
I would actually make an exception for parking and speeding tickets, but not murder. Besides, if a diplomat actually commits a murder, he can still be classified as non grata and the home country will be under huge pressure to try the criminal. Just imagine what a blow it is to a country´s reputation if it let one its own diplomats get away with a proven murder in a foreign country!
What if he was framed? likely to happen if the country is not in good terms with host country.
@Robert De Groot More likely than not, serious crimes like murder are ordered by the home country. It is distinctly likely that the home country would simply deny the crime, and accusing the host country of framing. Alternatively, the home country may use the poor diplomat as a scape goat...
So then every diplomat Russia wanted to torture for information would be "caught with drugs" and tortured....
I sometimes do some speeding on the roads if there are definitely no cops around but diplomatic immunity would be a bliss during the rush hours among the traffic.
Always wondered how this all worked, thanks!
You're very welcome :-)
Diplomatic immunity should only apply to *really* small incidents. Something a foreigner wouldn't know. Example, forgetting it's illegal to chew gum in Singapore. It should not apply to an action that is evil in itself
This is particularly relevant now
I always love your videos! I always feel smarter for awhile lol.
“Vsauce here this is Michael, have you ever wonder how diplomatic immunity works?”
08:53 #RomaniaStyle haha, that joke killed me.
When I did my military service, at a Nike battery outside Oslo, in 1979, we were told to beat the living shit out of anyone lurking around outside the fence as fast as possible, since if they got time to get out their diplomatic passport we weren’t allowed to touch them. 😂
wew
In those days, most of the Russian embassy's staff (and Lada importers) were KGB. Our house was watched by the PST because the Soviets had marked it for death squads. Good times, good times....
An American diplomats wife killed a 19 year old kid in the UK when she drank drive.
The USA got her out of the country in the same day.
Then refused to extradite her to face the punishment.
One of the biggest issues with diplomatic immunity is that it extends to /packages/. The host country being barred from examining the contents of any package sent to a foreign country's embassy as long as it's referred to as the diplomatic pouch. I'm not sure if that's only official packages from their government or /all/ packages.
In 2019 an Americans diplomats wife hit and killed Harry Dunn whilst driving on the wrong side of the road. So far the USA have not waived her diplomatic immunity and she fled the country.
The US government is the scum of the Earth.
Simon, why is the water level in my Snowglobes dropping? Are they evaporating? They aren’t cracked and leaking. What gives?!
THIS!!!
There will be a rubber bung or somesuch on the underside of it I'm guessing? The water will be evaporating through there, very slowly.
and how do you get the water back inside so they're full again?? We need to know! :)
Most likely cause is a tiny pinhole in the seal, the fluid is pushed out when the globe gets warmer, and air is sucked in when it cools down.
Filling back up can be as simple as removing the seal and pouring in more fluid, or as complex as immersing the whole globe under fluid in a vacuum chamber with the leak at the highest point and pulling a vacuum repeatedly so the air expands and then releasing the vacuum so fluid gets pulled back in.
bung
Clear as mud . Thanks Si .
On the one hand, the NYPD doesn't collect on those parking tickets; on the other hand, the shops on Fifth Avenue make a mint during the UN's annual meeting.
9:24 he served 4 years in a forced labour camp in Siberia.
The max punishment in Canada was less than 10 years, likely in a cushy minimum security prison.
That warms my heart. Thank you for these good news.
My friend's dad has diplomatic immunity, and my friend has been pulled over for drunk driving 3 times, and every time one cop just entered her car and drove her home while the other cop followed them behind......like wtf!!!!
My uncle is a diplomat
He gets specail treatment especailly in airports but im not sure if he has immunity or not
@tcbobb16 depends on the level of diplomatic immunity one has.....some cover immediate family too, while some don't
Most people in the US have a way to fix that issue if she has a wreck.
AKA corruption. It's common for kids of powerful people to get away with whatever they want. Like one of the ones who does drifting on the public streets is the son of a right-wing politician.
This is pure BS, a diplomatic car is considered part of the embassy, sovereign territory and a regular Police officer would not be allowed inside, let alone driving it. The most they could do is block the car from leaving the scene but apart from that nothing else.
3:36 damn, that whistle!
I personally think a better way would be that they cannot be charged for simpler crimes, such that they can't be accused of lots of little crimes and have their sentence made indefinite.
But for anything else, they can be detained and put into custody but at any point the home nation of that diplomat can demand he be sent home, lest they face the consequences for not doing so.
My mother knew a diplomat from Israel who got away with smuggling weapons in the 70s... so YES!
What happened to those 2 British engineers unjustly imprisoned in Nigeria?
from "xzonia1" free apparently: www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/umaru-dikko-politician-who-was-kidnapped-by-agents-of-the-nigerian-government-then-discovered-in-a-9580261.html
I used to be a cop near DC in the late 80s and you are right about them not paying parking tickets. They could get towed though and the tow yard doesn't give a crap about diplomatic status. You pay or they keep the car.
Would be cool to see what happens of you all switch roles, presenting, writing and editing
Well, after turning in the quest “A Blade in the dark” with Delphine you can start this one after interacting with her once more. She explains that she’s suspicious about the Thalmor and if they are mildly related, if not responsible, for the returning of the dragons.
The mission consists in infiltrating a meeting in the thalmor embassy in order to find information related to their involvement or non involvement, to do this, first you need to cause a distraction, while Malborn sneaks you into the kitchen, he then gives you any gear that had been previously given to him, (if any) the objective is to find the cellroom and a pair of books made by the thalmor and also interact with a prisoner inside said cellroom, after that, you have to escape through a trapdoor that leads into a cave, beware the Troll.
Another interesting thing is that a person with diplomatic immunity can be prosecuted in their home country for actions that aren't criminal in the host country. So for example a Swedish diplomat visiting a German brothel can face criminal charges in Sweden even though the act is perfectly legal in Germany.
That's just stupid.
The Swedes 🤣
It's just been revoked!
love the Lethal Weapon reference
I love the subtle lethal weapon 2 reference.
I believe I have heard of this, I think it’s called wealth and fame....
The north Korean embassy in Sweden when first established had no money to operate so they funded the operation by smuggling drugs and alcohol.
The concept of diplomatic immunity starts with the differences in the law from country to country; you don't want your diplomat abroad being jailed for doing something that would just be normal back home.
Very nicely covered subject, good job. Only one minor correction, privileges are not tied only to higher officials, but all those that have diplomatic ranking according to Vienna Convention. Functional immunity is usually granted to administrative and technical staff carrying official, not diplomatic passports. Also, diplomatic pouch is always escorted with courier letter, and in real life, governments are obliged to respect Vienna Convention, but not the private sector, meaning, you will not enter the airplane if you are carrying weapon, immunity or not. Again, very good resume of an subject commonly misunderstood even by diplomats them selves.
Simon, you're clearly more mature than me. If I were to make this video, the Lethal Weapon 2 " dip-lometic immunitay" would have been screened somewhere within the video.