Hostages


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Hostages

Persons taken by an individual or organized group in order to force a state, government unit, or community to meet certain conditions: payment of ransom, release of prisoners, or some other act.The taking of hostages, whether during wartime or periods of peace, is generally condemned under International Law.

West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
The hostage exchange was organized by the Azerbaijan State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and the State Border Service through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
When I arrived there, the escaped prisoners and several hostages already occupied the mayor's office while the mayor was outside conferring with some officials.
Panelo downplayed the threat as he maintained the government would not pay ransom in exchange for the release of the hostages held by Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu.
'I just wanted to get the children, the women and the injured (hostages),' Capt.
General Ghafoor disclosed that Pakistan troops were dispatched to rescue the hostages shortly after the U.S.
According to one account, the police decided to charge the hostage-taker when he sought to flee the area with a couple of the hostages as cover.
ISLAMABAD -- Banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud Group claimed that they have hostages of all passengers and crew of a Pakistani government helicopter that crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan last week.
The changes, which also include the creation of an interagency "fusion cell" to streamline efforts to free American hostages and improve communication between the government and families, follow a months-long review of U.S.