[seyf-kon-duhkt] 
| 1. | a document authorizing safe passage through a region, esp. in time of war. |
| 2. | this privilege. |
| 3. | the act of conducting in safety. |
| safe-con·duct (sāf'kŏn'dŭkt) n.
|
safe-conduct
procedure by which a person is permitted to enter or leave a jurisdiction in which he would normally be subject to arrest, detention, or other deprivation. Historically, the habit of princes in granting safe-conducts to foreigners who, as aliens, did not ordinarily enjoy the full protection of the host-country's law developed into the system of diplomatic immunity. Similarly, the granting of safe-conducts to protect freedom of commerce was the forerunner of modern treaties of commerce. Whether in modern times the granting by the authorities of a safe-conduct-as, for example, to a person enjoying asylum in a foreign embassy-entails any legal obligation under international or municipal law depends on the circumstances of each case. See also asylum; extraterritoriality.
Learn more about safe-conduct with a free trial on Britannica.com.