THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL DEFINITION OF PIRACY AND ITS MOTIVES

Piratical acts have evolved from time to time. The motives and intention of the pirates varies ranging from petty theft to collecting ransoms. Some piracies are more dangerous than the others as the equipment used to conduct the act also differs from one act to another based on the seriousness of the case. Measures have been taken to eradicate the problem of piracy. One of the measures taken was to define the problem and criminalize the act. The definition of piracy has gone through different stages. The legal definition of piracy started from the Harvard Draft Convention on Piracy which was designed in 1930s. Then it was adopted by the International Law Commission which drafted the Convention on the High Seas. The latest work involving the definition by the United Nations was the UNCLOS where it defined piracy in Article 101. The purpose of this article is to understand the motives of piracy and to explain the different legal definitions of piracy that has been adopted by the international community today.