"Person non grata": this term (in accordance with international law) refers to a person who was denied agremans, that is, the consent of the host state to consider a person as a diplomatic representative of another state.
As the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 says, a person with the status of a diplomat is exempted from criminal prosecution if he violates the laws of the host state. This is called "diplomatic immunity." Why did it become necessary to have the legal status of “persona non grata”? Its significance lies in the fact that the receiving state does not have the right to hold a diplomat who has committed an offense or a crime responsible. But because of the act committed by him, his stay in the territory of the state is impossible for various reasons.
Diplomats are a people, in general, law-abiding, and intentional offenses in the territory of another state commit only in exceptional cases. First of all, when this is required by the interests of their country or (which is much less common), in accordance with personal ideas about good and evil.
A third option is also possible - the commission of such an offense for material reward, but this is completely out of the category of unscientific fiction. Only such a representative of a marginal African or Asian country, where a coup d'etat takes place every six months, can take such an act. For example, to bring drugs under diplomatic cover into the country, or something else no less vile.
In 2009, an event caused a lot of noise, as a result of which the status of “person non grata” was received by the Consul of the Consulate General of Finland in Russia. Under diplomatic cover, a diplomat brought a child from his mixed Russian-Finnish family to his country. The boy had not only Finnish, but also Russian citizenship, therefore, he was protected by Russian laws.
“Person non grata” can be assigned not only to an acting diplomat who is already working in a foreign country. When appointing a new official to the embassy or consulate, the diplomatic department makes an agreman request, and if the host party agrees, the employee becomes a “persona grata”. Otherwise - “persona non grata” and denial of entry into the country in the status of a diplomat.
Often the announcement of this status is not for any misconduct that has taken place. Sometimes this is a manifestation of dissatisfaction with the specific actions of the state that sent the diplomat, suspicions of espionage or in response to a similar measure in relation to their representatives of the diplomatic corps.
During the Cold War, the practice of declaring "persona non grata" was used very widely. During the conflict, the diplomatic departments of the United States, Great Britain or the USSR sent dozens of workers to enemy embassies.
It is no secret that the diplomatic corps always has a certain number of special services (primarily intelligence) officers who conduct activities in the country of their residence that have little in common with the status of a diplomat. There is nothing to be done, people have such a job. And legally nothing can be done with them - as in the recent case with an attempt to recruit a Russian military by an American diplomat. In this case, “persona non grata” is the only legal way to get rid of an unwanted person in the country.
