International Law (State Immunity and Jurisdiction)

Sovereign Immunity (State Immunity): A state and its representatives are generally immune from the jurisdiction of foreign courts.

Head of State Immunity (ratione personae): A sitting head of state enjoys absolute personal immunity from criminal prosecution in foreign courts for acts committed during their tenure, both official and private.

Functional Immunity (ratione materiae): Immunity for official acts, which may continue even after leaving office, but does not cover private acts.

Jurisdiction Principles: States exercise jurisdiction based on territory (most common), nationality, protective principle (threats to national security), universal principle (grave international crimes), and passive personality.

Territorial Jurisdiction: A state has jurisdiction over crimes committed within its geographical borders.

Universal Jurisdiction: Allows states to prosecute individuals for certain grave international crimes (e.g., genocide, war crimes, torture) regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrator/victim.

Exceptions to Immunity: Debates exist on whether immunity applies in cases of grave international crimes before national courts, though it's more accepted before international tribunals (e.g., ICC).

The U.S. charges against Maduro are likely based on the protective principle (drug trafficking into the U.S.) or potentially universal jurisdiction arguments for narco-terrorism.