# Is everything legal on international waters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142 "2001-04-16T07:58:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/1 "2001-04-16T07:58:21Z")
Am i allowed to do anything i want on international waters without getting in trouble with the law. Say i took someone out there are brutally murdered them, can i get charged? ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/2 "2001-04-16T08:05:17Z")
Perhaps you would get off scott-free if you swim out there,RAW. I think you are subject to the laws of the country of origin of your ship. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/3 "2001-04-16T09:20:34Z")
In addition, aren’t there world-wide standards that the Big-Boy nations (i.e.- the USA, UN, etc.) expect everyone to keep? Since “murder = bad” is held as a standard pretty much everywhere, I don’t think your master plan of “International Waters Murder” would work too well… or else we’d see the mafia doing it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/4 "2001-04-16T10:27:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think your master plan of “International Waters Murder” would work too well… or else we’d see the mafia doing it all the time. Who says they don’t? You know the old saying: “It’s only illegal if you get caught.” ---
**Author:** ![Darqangelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@Darqangelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darqangelle)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/5 "2001-04-16T10:53:44Z")
SOMEbody’s been watching “Simpsons”… ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/6 "2001-04-16T11:14:24Z")
I think you’d still be answerable to charges brought by the victim’s country of origin. ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/7 "2001-04-16T11:40:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darqangelle \* > \*\*SOMEbody’s been watching “Simpsons”… \*\* So very true. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/8 "2001-04-16T12:27:16Z")
The New York Times Magazine ran an article in the last year on Pirates. It painted an unvarnished (grin) and rather frightening portrayal of what happens TODAY on the so-called “high seas”. Iffen I was a subscriber, I’d link to the archive site. But, I’m not ( and I suspect it would only be accessable to subscribers anyway). So, ya gotta do your own digging. Anywhoo, it did get into the specifics of International Law and piracy in international waters. How’s that for a very vague answer? \ Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/9 "2001-04-16T13:18:33Z")
I read a book about a murder on an unclaimed island called “And the sea will tell”. (The book is called that not the island) The people involved were tried for the murder as well as stealing a boat. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/10 "2001-04-16T13:46:58Z")
I shall direct you to [this here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=61166) thread and [this here](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/ch81.html#PC81) website. Basically, I think that if you commit an act of piracy and then end up in the US, yer going to jail. Doesn’t matter who you are or where your boat is flagged, yer going to jail. I’m sure that other developed nations have the same laws. So, if you want to get away with it, you just can’t set foot on dry land for the rest of your life. 😃 Hope it helps. Tripler Time to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-everything-legal-on-international-waters/62142/11 "2001-04-16T14:42:46Z")
Puddleglum - Those murders took place on uninhabited Palmyra Island, HI, USA. It’s considered part of Honolulu County, and Hawaiian cops had to take the thousand-odd mile boat trip out there to conduct the investigation. I believe they got a conviction, too. I believe that at sea you’re subject to the laws of the nation of registry of your tug. If you’re beyond the three-mile limit, committing a crime, and have no boat under you, you have worse things to worry about than McGarrett and Dan-O.