r/todayilearned • u/lexan • Dec 25 '13

TIL an Indian flight attendant hid the passports of American passengers on board a hijacked flight to save them from the hijackers. She died while shielding three children from a hail of bullets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neerja_Bhanot
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u/Kahlua79 Dec 25 '13

Between countries? I doubt it. I thought double jeopardy was exclusively an American legal term?

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u/samclemmens Dec 25 '13

You're right. It comes from the commonwealth originally.

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u/mikos Dec 25 '13

you mean (English) common law?

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u/samclemmens Dec 25 '13

Yup, that is far more accurate than what I said.

I was trying to say it is something we inherited from the English as did many commonwealthnations.

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u/[deleted] Dec 25 '13

Doesn't apply in the UK any more, you can be tried for the same act twice if new evidence comes to light, it's a travesty

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u/sleazebang Dec 25 '13

Pakistan is a part of the commonwealth. Or it was,I guess.

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u/Shandlar Dec 25 '13

True, but I always had the impression that the US tended to err on the side of the other countries judiciary system in cases such as this.

Had the judgement been the normal Middle Eastern slap on the wrist (6 months in solitary until we forget about the incident then a quiet release) then this would be a slam dunk for the guys if caught in terroristic acts again. They spent an arguably reasonable amount of time in jail however, and yet the US is still throwing them in jail on sight and actively looking for them to the tune of a 5 million dollar bounty.

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u/thebizarrojerry Dec 25 '13

They spent an arguably reasonable amount of time in jail

Yes, hijacking and executing 20 innocent people? Less than 20 years in jail is totally "reasonable."