Consular access

Subject: IR

Context:

Indian consular officers were obstructed from taking written consent from KulbhushanJadhav for legal representation on July 16 said Ministry of External Affairs.

Concept:

• Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963is an international treaty that defines consular relations between independent states.
• A consul, who is not a diplomat, is a representative of a foreign state in a country and works for the interests of his countrymen in the host country.
• Article 36 of the Vienna Convention states that foreign nationals who are arrested or detained be given notice without delay of their right to have their embassy or consulate notified of that arrest.
• If the detained foreign national so requests, the police must fax that notice to the embassy or consulate, which can then check up on the person.
• The notice to the consulate can be as simple as a fax, giving the person’s name, the place of arrest, and, if possible, something about the reason for the arrest or detention.