Question of jurisdiction still unclear

As if this case was not already complicated enough there is another dimension that will come into play assuming the killers are eventually caught. That is, which country, Belize or Guatemala, will have legal jurisdiction over the case? The easy answer is the country in which the crime was committed, but that may not be so easy to determine. In his interview on yesterday’s newscast survivor Larry Smith said he thought the shooting started after the boat had entered international waters. The fact is, however, that between that part of Belize and Guatemala there are no international waters. The territorial sea of each country borders on the other. A quick glance at a map shows the inconvenient geography of Amatique Bay. The route from Barrios to P.G, is clearly marked by the red dotted line. The imaginary line between Belize and Guatemala extends well north of Manabique Point…but had the Mariestela reached that line before the hijackers opened fire? The question is not merely academic. If the killers are caught it will more than likely be in Guatemala, as they were definitely not Belizeans. The problem is that Belize and Guatemala have no extradition treaty and without one, Guatemalan authorities would be very reluctant to hand over their citizens, if in fact the murderers were Guatemalan. If on the other hand, the crime was committed in Guatemalan waters, jurisdiction would not be a problem. The suspects would be tried in a Guatemalan court, using Guatemalan law and hopefully be executed by a Guatemalan firing squad. Perhaps the best strategy for Belize at present is to do all we can to catch the killers and at a more convenient time worry about the exact location of their evil deeds.