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Diplomatic Immunity

(56 Posts)
ginny Tue 24-Nov-20 13:57:22

Listening to the news this lunchtime re. the battle to get the wife of an American diplomat to answer for the death of Harry Dunn.

I don’t know why it has never struck me before but
Diplomats and their families can literally get away with murder and any other crime they may commit. ! Why on earth should they be above the law ?

How can a law like this be allowed to exist?

suziewoozie Wed 25-Nov-20 13:02:33

Anniebach

Are the Dunn family receiving financial support?

From whom annie ?

Anniebach Wed 25-Nov-20 12:53:53

Are the Dunn family receiving financial support?

Davidhs Wed 25-Nov-20 12:41:26

Sacoolas was in the next room at the White House ready to privately meet the Dunn’s but they did not want that. I don’t know what they did want but it was quite clear that there was not going to be a public media circus.

suziewoozie Wed 25-Nov-20 10:23:36

lemongrove

suziewoozie it doesn’t matter what Trump’s intentions were, the fact is, that Mrs Sacoolas was there, in the White House and ready to meet with the Dunn family.Of course it was up to the family to either meet / or not, but it was a choice.

It matters absolutely what his selfish intentions are- they thought he was going to discuss taking the matter forward to give them justice and they went there under false pretences from the WH. She was there for PR purposes only- if she cared at all she would have after running away, at least have offered a video trial. Lying to a grieving family FFS - how low can that man sink.

Anniebach Wed 25-Nov-20 10:11:54

It isn’t obvious the woman doesn’t feel guilt, she hasn’t spoken
publicly.

lemongrove Wed 25-Nov-20 10:11:21

suziewoozie it doesn’t matter what Trump’s intentions were, the fact is, that Mrs Sacoolas was there, in the White House and ready to meet with the Dunn family.Of course it was up to the family to either meet / or not, but it was a choice.

suziewoozie Wed 25-Nov-20 10:04:51

It amazes me that anyone thinks Trump’s behaviour towards them was anywhere near acceptable. They are an amazing family who were thrust into a terrible limelight with no experience of dealing with power. Imagine what sheer guts it took to say no to Trump and his disgraceful ambush.

Oldbat1 Wed 25-Nov-20 09:23:06

So sad for Harry’s family. They have conducted themselves very well. The woman obviously doesn’t have any guilt - I know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I was in her shoes. Disgraceful.

TerriBull Wed 25-Nov-20 08:15:11

Yes pretty much agree with the OP. Aside from the Harry Dunn tragedy. Diplomatic immunity is often open to abuse on a whole gamut of issues starting with relatively minor misdemeanours such as parking fines to worse case scenarios, murder/manslaughterhmm It always appeared to be a cover for shady goings on by some. Time for an overhaul.

suziewoozie Wed 25-Nov-20 07:51:15

I agree Laura. And the absolute reality is that in the circumstances of this case, there would have been no custodial sentence anyway. As for diplomatic immunity, I see the point of it as a concept but it’s been long in need of an overhaul

Davidhs Wed 25-Nov-20 07:32:08

I’m surprised they haven't improved the road system leaving RAF Croughton its far too easy to turn out on the wrong side of the road, to would be easy to improve it.
When you leave the ferry at Calais it is almost impossible to go wrong.

It was a fait accompli once Saccoolass was sent home, the US was not going to have her exposed to publicity. Probably she was a former high profile spook herself.

Sorry for Harry’s parents.

Hithere Wed 25-Nov-20 01:49:15

All people with enough power (to be used for lack of accountability) can abuse it to get away with anything.

How about prince Philip's car accident 2019?
The outcome was more favourable but if a person had died because of him, he wouldn't have been been held accountable whatsoever

LauraNorder Tue 24-Nov-20 22:10:31

We made the same comment re they can get away with murder. I see the point of diplomatic immunity as pointed out by Monica but I feel that Anna Sacooles has behaved very poorly. She should have come back to face the music. I’m sure she feels remorseful and would probably have got away with a charge of involuntary manslaughter or death by dangerous driving at worst. If a sentence was handed down she could have asked to serve it in the USA by special agreement. The Dunn family have suffered so much which could have been somewhat eased if Mrs Sacooles had behaved with some compassion for them.

suziewoozie Tue 24-Nov-20 21:20:24

Here’s the real version
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-northamptonshire-50064595

suziewoozie Tue 24-Nov-20 21:17:53

lemongrove

If you all remember, when the Dunn family went to the White House to talk to DT, he had asked ( and she came) Mrs Sacoolass to be there in a room, where she would express her sorrow to the family.They wouldn’t see her.I do think it could have given them some sort of closure if they had.It was a terrible accident, and Mrs Sacoolass will have to live with the knowledge that her mistake killed a young man.
Yes, I do think it would have been better if she had stayed in England, but she did have official immunity and was advised to leave.A tragedy all round.
Apparently, since then, there have been a few accidents caused by Americans leaving the base on the same road!

This is a real misrepresentation of the truth and incredibly unfair. That shit Trump completely ambushed a grieving family to try and serve his own ends ( as ever) .

lemongrove Tue 24-Nov-20 21:00:23

If you all remember, when the Dunn family went to the White House to talk to DT, he had asked ( and she came) Mrs Sacoolass to be there in a room, where she would express her sorrow to the family.They wouldn’t see her.I do think it could have given them some sort of closure if they had.It was a terrible accident, and Mrs Sacoolass will have to live with the knowledge that her mistake killed a young man.
Yes, I do think it would have been better if she had stayed in England, but she did have official immunity and was advised to leave.A tragedy all round.
Apparently, since then, there have been a few accidents caused by Americans leaving the base on the same road!

Witzend Tue 24-Nov-20 20:15:20

@Missfoodlove, I really don’t see why on earth those two women could not have been made to empty their bags at the exit, before being escorted from the shop. Diplomatic immunity surely just means that they couldn’t be arrested or charged.

I do see why diplomatic immunity is a thing, though. Even if it’s often abused - as it certainly is - it does mean that seriously dodgy regimes can’t with impunity lock up any diplomat they don’t happen to like. No country can pick and choose where to apply it.

MrsThreadgoode Tue 24-Nov-20 18:36:33

According to several newspapers she and her husband are CIA.

Missfoodlove Tue 24-Nov-20 18:32:50

25 years ago ish! I was shopping in M&S High St Kensington.
2 ladies in full burkas were busy filling their bags with goods.
When I went to the check out I spoke to the assistant.
She said there was nothing to be done because the 2 ladies in question had diplomatic immunity and were known to staff.

eazybee Tue 24-Nov-20 18:22:42

Apparently she is entitled to diplomatic immunity, but that doesn't mean that she has to take it. The woman is a coward, and I wonder what her children will think of her when they grow older and discover what she has done.

M0nica Tue 24-Nov-20 18:07:55

It works both ways. Our diplomats and their families are protected in the same way.

Modern diplomatic immunity was codified as international law in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) which has been ratified by all but a handful of nations.

Yes, it does cause us some problems, but what is the alternative? It would mean that without it, disgruntled foreign countries could arrest our diplomats on trumped up charges whenever they felt like it and itr would be to their advantage to do so.

timetogo2016 You would be quite glad of it if you were a diplomat or family member and, say, Russia decided it would be advantageous to them to arrest you on some trumped up charge.

Yes, this incodent is unfortunate and my heart goes out to Harry Dunn's family, but cases like this rare and no system is perfect.

AGAA4 Tue 24-Nov-20 16:01:30

Anne Sacoolas is a moral coward not to take responsibility for taking this young man's life and hiding behind diplomatic immunity.
I feel so sorry for his parents. They will never rest until justice is done and it looks as though it never will be.

Bathsheba Tue 24-Nov-20 15:18:40

But timetogo2016 you're not a diplomat, or a diplomat's spouse. (Are you?)

Not that I am in any way defending Mrs Sacoolas, or diplomatic immunity in this sort of case. It is wrong on every level that she has got off scot free. I feel so desperately sorry for Harry Dunn's parents. What an appalling, unnecessary waste of a young life sad

suziewoozie Tue 24-Nov-20 15:18:11

This is an interesting article - not very long- and written by a former UK diplomat. Worth a read but not good for BP.

www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2019/10/diplomats-governments-are-too-immune-accountability

timetogo2016 Tue 24-Nov-20 15:11:20

I wonder if i was in the USA and killed someone would i get diplomatic immunity.
I think not.
It`s a licence to kill.