History Main / DiplomaticImpunity

->''"[[BondOneLiner It's just been revoked]]."''\\

-->''"[[BondOneLiner It's just been revoked]]."''
-->-- ''[[LethalWeapon Lethal Weapon 2]]''

** Similarly, while diplomats are - in theory - subject to the television licence just like anyone else in the UK, in practice they can simply refuse to pay. This is common enough that the [http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/36394/response/109746/attach/html/4/RFI20100774%20disclosure%20document.pdf.html TV Licensing centre handbook]] has a section dedicated to explaining what to do if a pissed-off diplomat phones up.

* 300 - Subverted. Because [[ThisIsSparta that was Sparta]].

*** And in ''NewsRadio'', where an ill-timed comment by Bill [=McNeal=] about how said diplomat should be dragged out of his car and beaten comes true. And it only gets worse from there.

** In the time of AncientGreece, DiplomaticImmunity was thought a sacred law instituted by the gods. When Persian emisaries came to Sparta and Athens they received, "somewhat rude" treatment as is well known from a [[ThreeHundred certain movie]]. It was madness but [[ThisIsSparta That Was Sparta]].
*** However when bad weather started to strike the authorities in Sparta decided that the gods must be displeased, and so sent two volunteers to the King of Persia's court to be executed, as an apology. The Great King refused and the weather cleared. In those days DiplomaticImmunity was SeriousBusiness.

Diplomatic immunity is supposed to protect diplomats from being harassed for political reasons. (It's really just an evolution of the old principle of not shooting the messenger.) In fiction, this can be a handy device, as it answers the question of "why don't they just arrest him?" quite neatly. Quite often, it's the villains who are protected by it - their immunity from the cops means that it's left to the hero to bring them down vigilante-style. Visiting heads of state get something similar, so every PresidentEvil presumably has it automatically, although it isn't necessarily included in the plot. There are also heroes who have it, but for them, it's often a rather flimsy shield.

** Subverted in "Suicide Squeeze", which involves the Cuban consulate in New York. A murder suspect tries hiding out there, but Beckett bluntly informs the head guy that a consulate is not an embassy and as such isn't covered by immunity in these situations; unless she's turned over, there's nothing stopping the police from entering the consulate legally as they would any other similar situation. Since holding her wouldn't reflect well on the Cuban government, she's turned over.

* ''Film/GhostInTheShell'' (1995). At the beginning of the movie the ambassador of a foreign country claims diplomatic immunity while offering asylum to a Japanese defector. The Major executes the ambassador with a [[PinkMist bloody]] [[YourHeadAsplode head]] [[BOOMHeadshot shot]], "ending" the problem.

* One of {{Lois McMaster Bujold}}'s books is actually called ''Diplomatic Immunity''. [[spoiler: There's a double meaning in there, too.]]

** In the time of AncientGreece, DiplomaticImmunity was thought a sacred law instituted by the gods. When Persian emisaries came to Sparta and Athens they received, "somewhat rude" treatment as is well known from a [[{{300}} certain movie]]. It was madness but [[ThisIsSparta That Was Sparta]].

* In ''YesPrimeMinister'', the French plan use diplomatic immunity and embassy extraterritoriality to smuggle a dog into Britain - part of a scheme to embarrass the British with the help of quarantine regulations. This sneakiness ends up backfiring on them; having been denied the right to have their own police guard their diplomats, they've smuggled in explosives to try and embarrass the British police as well -- unfortunately for them, they get caught, and the British police are ''allowed'' to arrest them for that.

Diplomatic immunity only applies to recognised diplomats; agents not officially in the country can't claim it. Committing major crimes under the cover of diplomatic immunity would cause a serious international incident. Take murder, for example. If a foreign country protects a diplomat accused of murder from all consequences, they would appear to approve of the murder, making it an assassination by that county, which is an act of war. While diplomatic immunity is abused, serious abuse is playing with fire.

* Boss Cass in ''TyTheTasmanianTiger2'' uses this to kidnap random people in order to build his grand army. Seems so more ridiculous when i explain it to anybody...
** Does [[ItMakesSenseInContext it make sense in context]], or does explaining it [[FridgeLogic make you realise how ridiculous it is]]?

** Although less common since the end of the ColdWar a similar trick was to seek refuge in a neutral embassy of a country that the host country doesn't want to offend and who the spy's own country is to important for said spy to be booted out. Americans and Soviets each had different preferences, obviously. Popular choices nowadays are Switzerland, Austria, Vatican (mostly in South America where no leader wants to be seen attacking the church), and occasionally tiny European countries and principalities like Luxembourg and Malta.

* In JossWhedon's first ''AstonishingXMen'' run, after the X-Men(mostly the [[HeGotBetter newly-resurrected Colossus]]) put the beat-down on the alien conquerer Ord, Nick Fury and a squad of SHIELD agents show up with heavy ordinance, claiming that Ord has Diplomatic Immunity. As {{Wolverine}} replied in the next issue, "Diplomatic [[ClusterFBomb #%@* &%!!@#$@%#%$##@@#$$%$#@#]][[SymbolSwearing $$#%$#@#$%#%@$#$@$&&&%&@&$#%$##%&&&@&!!]] immunity?"

* In JossWhedon's first ''AstonishingXMen'' run, after the X-Men(mostly the [[HeGotBetter newly-resurrected Colossus]]) put the beat-down on the alien conquerer Ord, Nick Fury and a squad of SHIELD agents show up with heavy ordinance, claiming that Ord has Diplomatic Immunity. As {{Wolverine}} replied in the next issue, "Diplomatic [[ClusterFBomb #%@* &%!!@#$@%#%$##@@#$$%$#@#]][[SymbolSwear $$#%$#@#$%#%@$#$@$&&&%&@&$#%$##%&&&@&!!]] immunity?"

** In one Fantastic Four story, Reed Richards and his family go to Latveria and take it over briefly so they can dismantle Doom's assets [[GenreSavvy while he's suffering from a temporary death.]] They're eventually challenged by Nick Fury and brought to be arrested due to breaking international law by occupying the country, regardless of the fact that they're removing the tools Doom used to oppress the populace. Eventually it's pointed out to Fury that in addition to being a murderous tyrant, Dr. Doom broke international law and committed horrible crimes just about every other day on both his own and foreign soil, yet somehow the United Nations or formal authority never challenged or revoked his diplomatic immunity or attempted to remove him from power. This has never been brought up again.

* In DCComics' CrisisCrossover ''52'', CaptainMarvel's enemy [[AntiHero Black Adam]] killed a supervillain right in front of a news crew -by ''ripping him in half with his bare hands''- but was not arrested presumably because he was standing over the embassy of the nation he ruled at the time.

** Although less common since the end of the cold war a similar trick was to seek refuge in a neutral embassy of a country that the host country doesn't want to offend and who the spy's own country is to important for said spy to be booted out. Americans and Soviets each had different preferences, obviously. Popular choices nowadays are Switzerland, Austria, Vatican (mostly in South America where no leader wants to be seen attacking the church), and occasionally tiny European countries and principalities like Luxembourg and Malta.