UN call to classify hostage-taking as a crime against humanity
In a move aimed at strengthening the international justice system and closing loopholes that perpetrators may exploit to escape punishment, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Gill Edward, called on the international community and member states to take a decisive stand by explicitly including the crime of "hostage-taking" in the new international convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.
This move comes at a time when the international arena is witnessing in-depth legal discussions about the draft articles on crimes against humanity, with the UN official stressing that excluding this crime from the list is a "serious oversight" that is not in line with the evolution of forms of violations in modern conflicts.
Legal and humanitarian dimensions: Why now?
Edwards explained that hostage-taking not only deprives individuals of their freedom, but also involves severe psychological and physical suffering that clearly amounts to torture and ill-treatment. She noted that victims and their families live in a state of terror and uncertainty, creating immense pressure that is used as a tool for political or military blackmail, stripping them of their dignity and reducing them to mere bargaining chips.
Legally, hostage-taking is already classified as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, and there is also the 1979 International Convention against the Taking of Hostages. However, its inclusion among “crimes against humanity” gives it a more severe legal dimension, especially when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, whether in times of peace or war.
Closing the loopholes that allow for impunity
The UN Special Rapporteur warned that leaving this crime outside the scope of the new convention could be misinterpreted as international complacency, thus perpetuating a culture of impunity. Classifying hostage-taking as a crime against humanity opens the door to universal jurisdiction, allowing states to prosecute perpetrators regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrators.
International context and the importance of the new agreement
This call is of paramount importance given the current global turmoil, where armed groups, non-state actors, and sometimes even states themselves, are resorting to hostage-taking as a strategic tool of pressure. The Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly (Legal Committee) is currently examining draft articles on crimes against humanity, which aim to establish an international cooperative framework for the prevention and punishment of these crimes, similar to the Genocide Convention.
Responding to Alice Gill Edward's call would strengthen the international legal arsenal and send a deterrent message to anyone who might consider using civilians as human shields or bargaining chips, confirming that the international community will not tolerate such grave violations of human dignity.
