Piracy and its relationship to international law

Résumé Piracy and its Relation to the International Law Piracy is a threat to maritime navigation - and to maritime trade in particular - that is as ancient as maritime navigation itself. Even the Roman ruler Julius Caesar was - according to historians - captured by the pirates and released only after paying a royal ransom. At the beginning of the twentieth century, some authors considered the crime of piracy to be 'obsolete'. However, as the latest development proves, piracy is unfortunately very far from being eradicated. The forms of piracy developed dramatically throughout history; nevertheless, it poses an equal threat to shipment nowadays as it did in the time of Ancient Rome. This work presents piracy as a severe breach of the international law. The topic of piracy in general is discussed in the first part, while the other part offers a study of the most serious and also the most up-to-date piracy case - the piracy off the coast of Somalia. The general part presents various definitions of the word "piracy" itself on the first place. Even though the concept of piracy has been known for centuries, its perception and legal defining vary to a very high degree. To provide for a background to the problem, history and current situation concerning piracy are briefly explained as well. This part also provides..