The Case of the S.S. Lotus (France v. Turkey)
Permanent Court of International Justice
P.C.I.J. (ser. A) No. 10 (1927)
In 1926, the French steamship S.S. Lotus collided with the Turkish steamship Botz-Kourt, sinking it and killing eight Turkish nationals. Turkey prosecuted the French officer on watch, Lieutenant Demons (defendant), who objected that Turkey lacked jurisdiction; Turkish courts convicted him anyway, and France challenged Turkey's exercise of jurisdiction as a violation of international law. The dispute went to the Permanent Court of International Justice under a treaty requiring jurisdictional disputes between the countries to be resolved according to international law.
Whether, under international law, a State may exercise criminal jurisdiction over a national of another State for conduct that caused harmful effects within the prosecuting State's territory.