Today hostage taking is considered as a crime or as a terrorist act. Indeed, hostage taking is one of the many ways of action of the terrorists because, by this way, they can put pressure on States and thus obtain an important media coverage. The hostage taking is one of the favourite ways of action of the terrorists, because it generates a climate of fear that they try to establish. This act has an immediate impact on the State of which the hostages are citizens. Its emotional characteristic leads to dramatization. We can still remember the effects of the hostage-taking of the Israeli sportsmen at Munich during the Olympic Games of 1972, also that of the French people in the 80's at Lebanon and that of the employees of the American embassy in Iran during 1979-1980. Hostage takings at that moment had mainly political objectives and were either linked to a national conflict or to a revolutionary armed movement which wanted to take the power. The political effect of theses hostage takings was significant and thus leads to the adoption of the International Convention against hostage taking by the United Nations.
[...] The text is co-sponsored by Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Suriname, Tajikistan and Turkey The position of the European Union regarding hostage takings: a consensus quite successful Moreover, the European parliament, after the kidnapping of Portuguese citizens in Cabida, in May 2000, has chosen a resolution too. These citizens were in an African region for some professional activities, without any relation with the political conflict which persists in Angola. The European Union declared that it is a situation of violation of the human rights, without any political justification and which implicates citizens from EU. [...]
[...] And as I have said before, on 17th December 1979, the International Convention against hostage taking was adopted by the National Assembly of the United Nations which was effective from 3rd of June The International Conventions regarding hostage taking and the position of the United Nations States shall cooperate for the prevention of the offences set forth in article particularly by taking all practicable measures to prevent preparations in their respective territories. For commission of such offence within or outside their territories, measures are taken to prohibit in their territories illegal activities of persons, groups and organizations that encourage, organize or it is engaged in the perpetration of acts of taking of hostages. [...]
[...] Besides, it is in Colombia where are kept 80% of the hostages in the world and ‘Otages du Monde' has made this region as its scope of action The International Committee of the Red Cross' its role regarding to hostage-taking (CIRC) The ICRC condemns violations of international law, especially when they affect threatened peoples' lives or well-being, which is the case of hostage taking. The ICRC, in relation with what I have said before, is interested at the victims of hostage taking and their condition of living during their detention. [...]
[...] The delay by France to ratify this Convention is then explained by the existence of this ambiguous disposition which lets us to think that in some circumstances, an act of hostage taking which leads to this kind of conflict would be more justifiable than a same act made during a 'classic' armed conflict. To prevent all interpretation by reducing the sphere of application of the Convention, France assorted its adhesion by an interpretative declaration according to that is consider that the act of hostage taking will be forbidden under all circumstances'. [...]
[...] It is concluded that the lack of effective policing structure, limited nature of these international agreements, and lack of effective reprisals all combine the usefulness of these agreements A lack of recognition for the specific problems of hostage takings and for its victims Moreover, the international community does not really treat the crime of hostage taking, in a juridical and criminal point of view. There is a certain failure in the action of the IO's and specifically of the IGO' because the hostage taking are increasing all over the world, with more and more violence. [...]
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