Anne Sacoolas and the undermining of the diplomatic system

When Anne Sacoolas – the wife of a diplomat who allegedly crashed into and killed teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn – fled the UK, she not only caused untold anguish to the Dunn family, but she also helped to undermine the system which protects diplomats and their families throughout the world.

The right that is now being invoked by Sacoolas has a history that goes back as far as Ancient Greece, where heralds were granted safe passage between warring city-states. There should be no quibbling with the principle that diplomats and their families are given protection from vexatious legal proceedings in the countries they are sent to. Without this safeguard, it would prove too risky to keep open channels of direct communication with hostile countries through emissaries on the ground. As the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations puts it, this privilege leads to the ‘maintenance of international peace and security, and the promotion of friendly relations among states.’