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by zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC 3480 days ago
> To me, it (unfortunately) makes sense that the laws of a country only apply once you've entered it,

So, are you saying that a US citizen, before entering the US, would be allowed to kill a customs officer without any consequences? Or are you saying that customs officers could torture citizens as long as they are outside the US without any consequences for them?
1 comments
user982 3480 days ago
> Or are you saying that customs officers could torture citizens as long as they are outside the US without any consequences for them?

The US government and its courts have ruled that yes, that is exactly the case.[1][2]

  Eight years after Mr. Meshal’s rendition, his case ended up before a three-judge
  panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The
  questions hanging over the proceeding were: can the United States government
  allow, or even facilitate, the rendition of an American citizen to another
  country for interrogation? And can United States officials themselves conduct
  rendition and interrogations of American citizens, including threats of torture,
  on foreign soil?
  
  According to a decision handed down last week, the answers appear to be yes. If
  this decision stands, it will mean that an American citizen overseas who is
  unlawfully targeted by the United States government for rendition, interrogation
  and detention with the help of a local government will have no form of redress
  in the courts.
  
  Obama administration lawyers argued that Bivens did not apply to Mr. Meshal’s
  case because the incident took place overseas and involved unspecified “national
  security” concerns.
[1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/opinion/how-the-fbi-can-de...

[2]: https://www.aclu.org/cases/meshal-v-higgenbotham

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