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A 1970 iceberg killing and the looming problem of criminal justice in space
- LatteLazy 6y agoPeople seem to assume that countries end their laws at their borders. This is not true and never has been. Plenty of people have been convicted of piracy (piracy with ships I mean, not stealing copyrights) which happens almost exclusively in international waters. The specific act banning piracy in UK law even says requires the acts happen "in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State". Here in the UK, we have a specific list of crimes that can be prosecuted even if they happen literally anywhere. The list includes serious crimes like murder but also FGM and stalking which would be legal in many states[0]. The US actually arrested and charged a Huawei executive recently for breaking US sanctions while in China. "I was in China" was not a valid defense. Canada actually extradited her. Similarly, a jury "of your peers" literally only means that if you are a commoner, a commoner jury but if you are a Lord, a jury of other Lords (even this has now been abolished I believe). You have no right to a jury from your own town or with similar life experiences. A murderous astronaut could not reply on either of these legal arguments to escape prosecution either in the US or anywhere with an English common law tradition. [0] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bill-2020-factsheets/extraterritorial-jurisdiction-factsheet https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bi...