Persona non grata
What is persona non grata?
- Persona non grata is a Latin phrase which means “unwelcome person.”
- In diplomacy, it refers to a diplomat or foreign person whose entering or remaining in a certain country has been prohibited by that country.
- The designation received diplomatic meaning at the 1961 Vienna Convention for Diplomatic Relations.
- Article 9 of the treaty mentions that a country can declare any member of a diplomatic staff persona non grata “at any time and without having to explain its decision.”
- Soon after the declaration, the person concerned usually returns to their home nation. In case they fail to do so within a reasonable period, the country “may refuse to recognise the person concerned as a member of the mission.”
- The article also says that a person can be declared persona non grata even before arriving in a country.
When is it used?
- There aren’t any fixed rules regarding when a country can declare a foreign person persona non grata as it doesn’t need to give an explanation according to Article 9 of the Vienna Convention.
- Historically speaking, countries have used it to express their discontent with the actions of other nations.
- Notably, the imposition of persona non grata designation isn’t just limited to diplomats.
Why in News?
- Israel’s Foreign Minister said that he was barring U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
- Iran recently fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid an escalation in fighting between its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.
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