Can a Diplomat Really Get Away With Murder?
Essentially, yes. Diplomatic immunity exists to theoretically prevent local legal disputes from interfering with the high-minded work of statecraft. Embassy and consular staff who violate laws may in rare cases face consequences back home, but while in their host countries, they can walk away from a range of crimes:
*Families of service staff have no immunity at any time.
Traffic fines: In New York—where the United Nations convenes this week for its 65th general assembly—foreign officials have racked up 200,000 unpaid parking tickets over the past 15 years. That's $20 million the city can't collect. It goes both ways, though: the U.K. isn't holding its breath for $5 million in traffic fines from U.S. diplomats working in London.
Theft: The next most common offense of foreign agents in Washington? Sticky fingers, according to one State Department review. When the Secret Service arrested a Mexican diplomat in New Orleans in 2008 for allegedly stealing White House staffers' BlackBerrys and other technology, the man cited his immunity, got on a plane, and left the country scot-free.
Tax and rent evasion: In 2005, diplomats from Zaire argued they didn't have to face a lawsuit over $400,000 in unpaid New York rent—and the U.S. agreed. Not long after, Philippine diplomats in Manhattan turned their untaxable office space into a restaurant, a bank, and even a travel agency, ignoring a $1 million tax bill.
Drunk driving: A Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Romania was protected after a 2004 crash that left a famous musician dead. But in 1997, after a Georgian diplomat killed a 16-year-old girl in Washington, D.C., his government took the nearly unheard-of step of waiving immunity. He served time in a U.S. prison.
Murder: It's rare, but it happens. In 1984, Libyan diplomats shot and killed a police officer from the window of their embassy in London. The country didn't admit responsibility until 1999. The shooter was never charged.
To view more Back Stories, click here.
SOURCES: State Department, Embassy of the United Kingdom, United Nations, news reports
Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long.
Daniel Stone is Newsweek’s White House correspondent. He also covers national energy and environmental policy.
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
Comments