impunity
n.the ability to do something bad or illegal without being punished. You use this when someone breaks the rules but never gets into trouble for it.
n.exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action. Often used in political or legal contexts to describe a lack of accountability for those in power.
“He broke the law with total impunity.”
“The corrupt officials acted with impunity, knowing that the local police would never investigate their financial dealings.”
“Human rights organizations warned that allowing these crimes to go unprosecuted would create a culture of impunity that could destabilize the entire region for decades.”
Typically follows the preposition 'with' ('with impunity').
“The case is the latest to draw attention to the relative impunity of settlers and how Israeli forces are struggling to deal with rising settler violence.”
“They believe themselves to be the lords of the land.” Israeli militants target Palestinians with near total impunity in the occupied West Bank.”
From Middle French impunité, from Latin impunitas, from impunis (“without punishment”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.