# Spain issues arrest warrant for 3 US soldiers **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 20, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-issues-arrest-warrant-for-3-us-soldiers/327028 "2005-10-20T03:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 87
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-issues-arrest-warrant-for-3-us-soldiers/327028/87 "2005-10-21T17:45:32Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > May we have a cite about the same crime being tried by two different courts in the US? I think you may be talking about an event (such as the Rodney King beating) where a state court tried one crime (assault?) and a federal court tried another crime (denial of civil rights?). The same act cannot be tried twice by the same sovereign (even claiming a different law) but another sovereign is free to try the same act again. It is not a matter of different law but a matter of different sovereign. You can find it easily if you search threads where double jeopardy has been discussed and I am sure our expert lawyers can clarify this but, in any case, that is not the topic of this thread and I do not want to hijack the thread with that. The point is that a claim of double jeopardy in this case is absolutely preposterous for several reasons. – not the least of which is the fact that they haven’t been tried at all! > [@Monty](#): > > Let’s have a cite for this too, shall we? AFAIK, the prohibition on buying cigars from Cuba applies to American citizens, not to John England who happens to be visiting Cuba and then returning to England without so much as glancing at the US. Please pay attention. I already gave you a cite. It’s called the Helms-Burton act > [@](#): > > [THE HELMS-BURTON ACT](http://www.skralaw.com/Articles/cuba.htm) > On March 12, 1996, the United States enacted “The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act” (commonly referred to as Helms-Burton) (the Act). This controversial legislation, which was introduced on February 14, 1995 by Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Dan Burton, expanded the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba through measures aimed at penalizing third countries, firms and individuals trading with Cuba. It is considered illegal by the rest of the world and has been protested repeatedly by many countries including Canada, all of Latin-America and Europe. It penalises foreign individuals and companies who trade with or invest in Cuba even though it is legal for them to do so in their own countries. In fact, in some cases it is _illegal_ for them to comply with the Helms-Burton act but America expects foreigners to abide by American law rather than with their own laws. Talk about extraterritoriality. Cases have been discussed on this board. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spain-issues-arrest-warrant-for-3-us-soldiers/327028)._