
A 1970 iceberg killing and the looming problem of criminal justice in space - ForHackernews
https://slate.com/technology/2020/07/arctic-t3-murder-space.html
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LatteLazy
People 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-
bi...](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-
bill-2020-factsheets/extraterritorial-jurisdiction-factsheet)

