(hat tip to Radley Balko at http://theagitator.com)
http://www.theagitator.com/2011/05/29/welcome-to-global-jurisdiction/
Welcome to Global Jurisdiction
Sunday, May 29th, 2011
A U.S. citizen has been arrested in Thailand for insulting the Thai king on the Internet. Each alleged defamations carrries a sentence of 3-15 years in prison.
This is obviously terrible, and I hope the guy is released. But the premise here is no different than when the U.S. government arrests the executives of online gambling sites at U.S. airports and charges them under U.S. law, despite the fact that online gambling is perfectly legal in the countries where they’re citizens and where their companies are incorporated.
We set a pretty nasty precedent here. I don’t see how the U.S. government has much moral standing to demand this guy’s release.
http://www.theagitator.com/2011/05/29/welcome-to-global-jurisdiction/
Welcome to Global Jurisdiction
Sunday, May 29th, 2011
A U.S. citizen has been arrested in Thailand for insulting the Thai king on the Internet. Each alleged defamations carrries a sentence of 3-15 years in prison.
This is obviously terrible, and I hope the guy is released. But the premise here is no different than when the U.S. government arrests the executives of online gambling sites at U.S. airports and charges them under U.S. law, despite the fact that online gambling is perfectly legal in the countries where they’re citizens and where their companies are incorporated.
We set a pretty nasty precedent here. I don’t see how the U.S. government has much moral standing to demand this guy’s release.