Diplomat Law and Legal Definition
A diplomat is a public officer commissioned, according to law, to supervise and transact the affairs of the government which has employed them, in a foreign country. International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians. An ambassador is the most senior diplomatic rank. The collective body of all diplomats in a particular country is called a diplomatic corps.
Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments, which ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws (although they can be expelled). It was agreed as international law in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), though there is a much longer history in international law.
