Maritime Piracy, its Suppression and Punishment

The text Maritime Piracy, Its Suppression and Punishment, analyses piracy as a classical threat to international maritime traffic, which has reappeared after being considered obsolete in a majority of the world for several decades. The text first discusses general questions connected with piracy - a definition of piracy according to public international law is presented. Consequently, the factual side of piracy is presented, since piracy still is a topic not very well-known in the Western world. In the following part of the text, the tools provided by public international law for suppression of piracy are analyzed, as well as possible ways of prosecution of persons accused of piracy. The final part of the text discusses the case study of Somalia. In Somalia, piracy has become a threat to international peace as well as a severe hindrance to international maritime trade. Despite the effort of the international community, the public international law has yet to find adequate solutions for the problem of piracy in Somalia