Book contents
- Hostages and Human Rights
- Hostages and Human Rights
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases
- Table of Treaties
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Terrorist Hostage-Taking and the Anti-terrorism Conventions
- 3 Pirate Hostage-Taking and Counter-Piracy Measures
- 4 Jurisdiction in International Law and State Responsibility
- 5 International Human Rights Law and the Human Rights of Hostages
- 6 State Practice in Hostage Crises and Human Rights
- 7 Concluding Remarks
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - Terrorist Hostage-Taking and the Anti-terrorism Conventions
The Lack of a Victim’s Perspective in the Fight against Terrorism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 October 2021
- Hostages and Human Rights
- Hostages and Human Rights
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Cases
- Table of Treaties
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Terrorist Hostage-Taking and the Anti-terrorism Conventions
- 3 Pirate Hostage-Taking and Counter-Piracy Measures
- 4 Jurisdiction in International Law and State Responsibility
- 5 International Human Rights Law and the Human Rights of Hostages
- 6 State Practice in Hostage Crises and Human Rights
- 7 Concluding Remarks
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter examines the historical background that caused a rise in hostage-taking incidents and an escalation of violence against hostages in the two-decade period between 1960 and 1980. It offers a critical evaluation of the responses of states adopted in the aftermath of major hostage-taking incidents, and in doing so, it shows that although the international community was shocked by the human cost of these crimes, the human rights of hostages were not incorporated into any of their responses. Instead, states adopted a series of conventions, known as the anti-terrorism conventions (TSCs), aimed at criminalising the various forms of hostage-taking and ensuring that alleged offenders do not escape justice. This urged states to consider implementing human rights mechanisms for the protection of alleged offenders, while they continued to ignore the human rights of victims. The gaps in the victims’ protection continue to exist today, as the TSCs have become an integral tool in the fight against modern hostage-taking.
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- Hostages and Human RightsTowards a Victim-Centred Approach, pp. 19 - 49Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021