Why can you not be arrested in foregien countries if your at your embassy?

Question

Why can you not be arrested in foregien countries if your at your embassy?

Answer 1

Certain roles in embassies are given "diplomatic immunity".  It allows countries to operate freely abroad without always looking over their shoulders at local laws.

Sometimes this means that major laws can be broken, but also sometimes a country will allow diplomatic immunity to be over-ridden and people prosecuted.

Answer 2

A lot depends on the particular circumstances. When accredited diplomats are in a country, most minor infractions go unpunished. If you're stopped for exceeding the speed limit by a wee bit, you flash your Ministry of Foreign Affairs credentials, and they cops will let you go. You can park in the red zone (as many diplomats do in New York) with impunity.

OTOH, if the events are serious, this business of diplomatic immunity and sanctity are subject to negotiation.  Here's something about Manuel Noriega from wikipedia:

Noriega fled during the attack and a manhunt ensued. He finally turned up in the Apostolic Nunciature, the Holy See's embassy in Panama, where he had taken refuge. U.S. troops set up a perimeter outside this building, as any direct action on the embassy itself would have violated the customs of international law (and perhaps treaties to which the U.S. was a party at the time as well). The troops guarding it used psychological warfare, attempting to force him out by playing hard rock music and The Howard Stern Show outside the residence.[15] Reportedly the song "Panama" by Van Halen was played repeatedly.

The Vatican complained to President Bush because of this and U.S. troops stopped the noise. After a demonstration a few days later by thousands of Panamanians demanding he stand trial for human rights violations, Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990.

So even if you're on embassy soil, you can be asked to surrender.

If you are *not* a diplomat, your chances of finding your way to the embassy may be slim.  And if the local authorities ask for your release, depending on the circumstances, the embassy may give you up. It's complicated, political, subject to interpretation and logistics.

Answer 3

An embassy and its grounds are considered the same, legally, as the nation whose embassy it is. It doesn't matter if Portuguese Embassy is in New York, for instance. If you're inside it, you are on Portuguese soil, subject to its laws, not the United States' laws.

Answer 4

It is as Maryn answered, but, as I also understand it, even tho the embassy is considered to be 'homeland territory for the country it represents, you can still be turned over to the local authorities if deemed appropriate.