Can you go to a foreign country, kill or rape someone and use your embassy or foreign pressure to walk free?

absolutely not , you may have some immunities but not to that extend !walk free? no way!
if you would like to read about the immunities , i really advise you this page by the US ;at this link :
http://www.state.gov/m/ds/immunities/c9127.htm

? viena ?

no.

DASHLOC4ever

You can if you are a diplomat and have immunity.

If you are an average Joe then you are probably up a creek.

brucec83

If you are an accredited Embassy or Consular Official, with diplomatic immunity, you can do this. It has been done.

However, your Ambassador has the option of turning you over to the host country, or returning you to your country for trial if he chooses.

If he doesn't, you will still almost certainly be declared personna non gratis by the host country and forced to return to your country where you can kiss your diplomatic career goodbye.

George L

Private citizens are subject to all local laws, period. Even diplomats can be if their government chooses to drop diplomatic immunity and that does happen on occasion. Georgia dropped immunity for one of its diplomats a few years ago after he got drunk and killed a person while driving and he did spend at least some time in jail here in the US.

dÅ«'bÄ“-É™s

You can't.

Frank

No, this happened to an official of USOM (United States Overseas Mission) now called USAID. He killed a man...a love triangle...and was sentenced to prison for life...later he was taken to the US but for further imprisonment. I live in China, and if I am found guilty of any crime, I am punished by Chinese law. The Embassy may help but if you are guilty, you pay the price. It is true in reverse too. A foreign national will be charged by local authorities. Misdemeanors for diplomats are usually excused, but a felony is a felony and extradiction by individual foreign treaties is allowed

Canadian Dip

No you can't walk free (although I'm sure some countries have abused that...). Nowadays, in most cases, diplomatic immunity allows you not to be prosecuted in the country where you're serving. Say if you're diplomat in China, you commit manslaughter, you won't be prosecuted under Chinese laws. Your home country will bring you back and prosecute you under its own laws. In the above example, if you're a French diplomat serving in China, you will not face death penalty.
So no, diplomats do not have a license to kill/rape...

Yak Rider

A diplomat from Libya fired a shot from the Libyan embassy in London. It struck and killed a London police woman out on the street. No charges were ever filed. This was back in the early 1980's.

I can see

Works for the Russians in the UK. Of course, there are a few reprussions from that.

Depends if the government of which the crime was commited catches you. If they catch you you are subject to their laws. If you make it to the embassy you may be able to claim something depending if you are a person with power.

Mimarspre

In In theory....no but actually there are a couple of cases, where the killer has been set free or has gotten no process at all.

I remember for example a case in my land, a young man was killed by a citizen of a foreign country, this was a passional crime. The young man was a young woman's fiance and she was dating the foreigner. As the young woman did not want to continue the relationship to the foreigner, the man killed the woman's fiance. I have to say the foreigner was not in the diplomatic service but he was a soldier. At the end the goverment had to set this man free in order to avoid any diplomatic conflic.

Other case are people with diplomatic immunity. If they commit a crime, they can not be judged by law of the country where they are in service. The only thing that can be done is expulsion, declare him "Persona Non Grata" and a formal complain by the diplomatic channels. If the diplomat will be judged or not depends on his country's goverment. There is however an exception : UN (United Nations) officials cannot be declared persona non grata.

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