I recently vented my spleen a bit about the insanity of what I thought was the UN's Law of the Sea. Someone out there, CaitlynA, corrected me and let me know that the stupidity I was railing against was the product not of the UN but of the country, (in this case Germany) who let captured pirates go, allowing them to resume their nefarious depredations as soon as they could get new weapons and suitable transportation.
I stand corrected.
Being corrected, I now started a new search for the US law which governs piracy and disposal of captured pirates. I saw some information regarding the concept of universal jurisdiction but I have been unable to find what I am looking for. It is probably somewhere in the US Code.
So CaitlynA, since you seem quite knowledgeable about this issue and if you are still monitoring this blog, please let me know where, if anywhere, there is any federal statute regarding piracy on the high seas.
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4 comments:
Yes, I'm here. I'm going to have to check on the domestic laws that guide implementation of our rights and duties to combat piracy and get back to you.
This must be one of the shortest and most direct criminal provisions of the US code:
18 U.S.C.A. § 1651: Piracy under law of nations
Whoever, on the high seas, commits the crime of piracy as defined by the law of nations, and is afterwards brought into or found in the United States, shall be imprisoned for life.
So, the LOS Convention defines piracy and the right of nations to punish pirates and Title 18 section 1851 sets the punishment.
One more thing, you can find the official US policy on piracy on the White House web site.
CaitlynA - Thanks for the prompt and accurate information.
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