Legal Definitions - hostage

A hostage is a person held captive, often under threat of harm or death, to compel another party (such as a government, an organization, or an individual) to meet certain demands. This act is typically considered a serious crime. In the context of international law, it can also refer to a person held by an enemy during wartime as a guarantee or security for the performance of an agreement.

Here are some examples illustrating the term:

• Example 1: Bank Robbery

  During a bank robbery, the perpetrators detain several bank employees and customers inside the vault, threatening to harm them if law enforcement does not allow them safe passage and a getaway vehicle. The employees and customers are being held captive, their safety is threatened, and their release is contingent upon the robbers' demands (safe passage, getaway vehicle) being met. This directly aligns with the definition of a hostage.

• Example 2: Political Abduction

  An extremist group abducts a foreign journalist in a conflict zone, publicly stating they will execute the journalist unless their government releases specific political prisoners. Here, the journalist is held captive, their life is explicitly threatened, and their freedom depends entirely on the government fulfilling the abductors' demand for prisoner release. This demonstrates the use of a person as leverage to achieve political objectives.

• Example 3: Wartime Guarantee (International Law Context)

  Historically, following a major battle, one warring nation might temporarily hold high-ranking officers or even civilians from the defeated side as a guarantee that a negotiated armistice or prisoner exchange agreement will be honored by the opposing power. In this scenario, these individuals are held in enemy custody during wartime, and their freedom or well-being serves as security to ensure the performance of a specific agreement (armistice, prisoner exchange) between the belligerent powers, fitting the international law aspect of the definition.