Diplomatic bag
As a diplomatic pouch official correspondence of a diplomatic representation is called, which must not be opened, examined or withheld and only diplomatic documents or may contain certain articles for the official use.
Declaration
The rules on diplomatic pouches containing the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961., The diplomatic pouch is usually a made of durable material (often canvas) manufactured, closable and sealable bag and is therefore in English "diplomatic bag" or called "diplomatic pouch ". Also complete boxes can be declared as diplomatic baggage. In all cases, clear labeling is required.
The diplomatic courier ad hoc may also be appointed, a document must keep with him, which is about his status and the number of pieces of baggage information. This courier may not be detained nor arrested. A captain of a commercially operated aircraft or vessel must also be such a document carry with you in case the diplomatic bag entrusted to him - but he is not considered a diplomatic courier.
According to the prevailing opinion of a screening by X-ray radiation is regarded as a study of the content, although some states insist to check that only the allowed "official" correspondence or to " official use certain items " in the luggage actually exist. In contrast to diplomatic correspondence can consular traffic to be stopped and sent back to the origin, if the country of origin of an investigation does not agree.
The size of the diplomatic bag is not limited.
Individual cases
In 1938 the Franciscan monk Herman Leo Van Breda was declare the estate of Edmund Husserl as diplomatic baggage. Thus, the estate of Germany could be brought to Belgium.
On 12 July 1984, Switzerland banned the entry of a Soviet truck on the German border in Basel. He was utterly, declared with nine tons of cargo as diplomatic baggage; the entire truck as " baggage " was not contested by the West German Customs upon arrival to Germany. The Switzerland but continued diplomatic baggage an arbitrary limit of 450 pounds (204 kg). The USSR allowed the West German authorities, an inspection of the contents: 207 individual boxes - each diplomatic Canvas bag containing - came to light.
Umaru Dikko ( Nigerian Minister of Transport ) was abducted on 5 July 1984, in exile in London, stunned and packed in a wooden crate. Then he should be flown with a mounted cargo plane to Nigeria. At the airport London Stansted alerted the police foiled the kidnapping because the two boxes - were not sealed and the transport managers could not identify them as diplomatic couriers - those with Dikko and a second with the two hijackers in it.
The spy Mordechai Luk, the (presumably also for Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany and ) worked for Egypt, should also be kidnapped as a diplomatic bag in a suitcase in 1964, but this was opened by police in Rome. Egypt apparently used several "suitcase " to kidnap people.
Film
In the film The Peacemaker (1997) a nuclear bomb will be sent as diplomatic baggage.