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Law

Universal Jurisdiction and Its Application to Piracy

Quick fact

Universal jurisdiction means any state can prosecute piracy even if the pirate is a foreign national and the crime occurred in international waters—this principle has been part of customary international law for centuries and is even codified in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Why this is interesting

You've probably heard that anyone can arrest a pirate on the high seas—but the law actually allows any country to prosecute the pirate, regardless of where the crime happened or who was involved. How does that square with the idea that laws only apply within a country's borders?